Parliament denounces Agreement on establishment and operation of Russian cultural centers

On 27 November, Parliament adopted in the second reading a draft law denouncing the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of the Russian Federation on establishment and operation of cultural centers. The decision was supported by 56 deputies from the PAS and PDA factions.

Foreign Policy Committee head Doina Gherman mentioned that the project was examined and approved in the first reading during the parliamentary plenary session on 13 November, and in the meantime, no proposals or objections were received from the permanent committees or deputies.


“In the context of the above, based on Article 27 and Article 56 of the Parliament's Regulations, the Foreign Policy Committee proposes the Parliament adopt the current draft law for the second reading,” Gherman stated.


The draft denouncement was developed by the Ministry of Culture, which argued that, in the current geopolitical situation and with the high risk of disinformation, the Agreement with the Russian Federation could be used as a tool to promote distorted narratives, posing a risk to the informational security of the Republic of Moldova.

Furthermore, considering that our country does not have a cultural center on the territory of the Russian Federation, there is no equitable mechanism for promoting information about the Republic of Moldova, undermining the balance and original purpose of the Agreement.

Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan mentioned in the Parliament's plenary that the Agreement was signed in 1998, in Moscow, and came into force in July 2001. Based on the document, the Russian Federation opened the Russian Cultural Center in Chisinau in 2009. Since the Agreement's ratification, the Republic of Moldova has not established a cultural center in the Russian Federation.


“The Russian Cultural Center is under the direct administration of the Russian Federation Embassy in Chisinau and is funded by the Russian agency ‘Rossotrudnichestvo,’ an institution directly subordinate to the Russian presidency. It has been included in international sanctions, being qualified by the EU as ‘the main state agency projecting Kremlin's soft power and hybrid influence, including the promotion of the so-called Russkiy Mir concept,’ the minister stated.


The denouncement of the Agreement was initiated in February 2025, at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following a serious breach of Moldova's airspace by Russian drones.