Russian expert Andrei Deviatkov, of the Economics Institute of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, considers from commercial and economic viewpoints, Moldova plays for Russia a rather symbolic role.

The opinion was stated in an interview for Radio Free Europe, which is quoted by IPN. According to the expert, trade between the two countries represents only 0.1% of Russia’s whole trade. That’s why it is rather about particular political moments and toughening up of the customs control on the part of Russia in the context of the constitution of the Eurasian Customs Union.

As regards Moldova, the expert said the restoration of access to the Russian market is a direction of the future. “But we should not underestimate the importance of this direction. In fact, today Moldova exports a large quantity of agricultural products to foreign markets. It is about walnuts, grapes, fruit and other products. For the Moldovan wines, for example, the Russian market remains traditionally a key one,” he stated.

According to Andrei Deviatkov, the trade with Russia is very important for Moldovan producers. At the same time, Moldova’s commercial dependence on Russia should not be exaggerated. In 2012, Moldova’s exports to the EU came to over US$1 billion, while to Russia to about US$600 million. “So, after the autonomous trade preferences were introduced in 2005, Moldova gradually increased its exports to the EU member states. Progressively, the total exports to the EU exceeded those to the Russian Federation,” said the expert.