CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2023) Moldova has changed its main sales markets in 2022, prompting a 31% decrease in exports to Russia and a 32% increase in trade with the European Union, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Development Minister Dumitru Alaiba said on Monday.
"Over the past 15 years, the Moldovan economy has undergone a dramatic shift. The EU currently is the largest market for Moldovan exports. Exports to Russia fell 31% in just one year," Alaiba said on social media.
At the same time, Moldova shipped over $2.54 billion in goods to EU countries, increasing exports to the bloc by 32% year-on-year, the official noted.
Following the start of hostilities in Ukraine last year, Moldovan President Maia Sandu turned to European partners with a request to open their markets for Moldovan goods, since exports to the east became impossible. In March 2023, Moldova and the European Free Trade Association, comprising Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, concluded negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement.
