"[It] is just a paper, invalid document. This agreement will have no legal force. It was signed not on behalf of Moldova, was not certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration," Filip said.
The prime minister stressed that given the Moldovan parliament must ratify all agreements, the move fell outside the legal framework.
The memorandum signing ceremony, which had both Dodon and Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) board chairman Tigran Sargsyan in attendance, took place at the EAEU-Moldova international forum in Chisinau earlier in the day.
In March, Dodon rejected opposition from the prime minister, who had sent a letter saying cooperation with the Russia-led bloc would not bring any economic benefits to the country and would be inconsistent with the EU-Moldovan association agreement that came into force last year. The president, who promised to restore the country's strategic partnership with Russia during his election campaign last year, responded saying no one could interfere with the decision made on the behalf of the majority of voters.
During his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in January, Dodon expressed interest in Moldova participating in the EAEU as an observer. He stressed that the June 2014 Moldovan-EU Association Agreement had failed to meet expectations, and led to the loss of the country's share on the Russian market as well as the drop in exports volume to the European Union.
The EAEU, comprising Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, is an international organization that encourages regional economic integration through the free movement of goods, services, and people within the union.
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