The Moldovan government has approved the termination of its 1998 Cultural Agreement with Russia, under which the Russian Center for Science and Culture (Russian House) operated in Chișinău, Radio Moldova reports.
The procedure to formally “denounce” the Agreement was initiated by the Moldovan Ministry of Culture at the request of the country’s Foreign Ministry. The latter announced its intention to close the Russian House in February this year, following yet another violation of Moldova’s airspace by Russian drones.
After being approved by the government, the termination of the Agreement will be submitted to the Moldovan Parliament for consideration.
During the discussions about closing the Russian House earlier this year, Moldovan officials noted that its activities “undermine the statehood and sovereignty” of the republic.
“There is nothing cultural about the Russian Cultural Center — it has been used as a cover for activities carried out to undermine Moldova’s sovereignty. … This [Cultural] Agreement may be used by the Russian Federation as a tool to promote disinformation, which poses a risk to the information security of the Republic of Moldova and beyond,” Radio Moldova quoted Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan as saying at today’s government meeting.
Russia's cultural exchange agency, Rossotrudnichestvo, told Russian business outlet RBC that it has yet to receive any official notice of the closure from the Moldovan authorities.
This past February, authorities in Azerbaijan announced the closure of the local branch of Rossotrudnichestvo. In 2023, the Russian House in Bucharest was shut down by the Romanian government.