Top diplomatic change in the Republic of Moldova
The Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population) is refreshing its top diplomatic team, which would lead it towards EU inclusion.
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Bogdan Matei, 25.01.2024, 13:50
The Moldovan foreign minister, Nicu Popescu, announced on Wednesday that he submitted his mandate as deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs in the pro-Western government of the Republic of Moldova. I have successfully fulfilled the foreign policy objectives set upon my appointment and at this stage I need a break, he said. In June 2022, with Popescu as head of the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry, the Republic of Moldova obtained the status of EU accession candidate country, and last month the decision-makers in Brussels gave the green light for the opening of negotiations. On December 26, 2023, President Maia Sandu awarded Nicu Popescu the Order of the Republic, the highest state award. For the moment, the former minister avoided confirming the information circulated in the public space, according to which he would be appointed chief negotiator of the Republic of Moldova for EU accession, a newly created position after the December decision of the EU leaders.
According to the press, Nicu Popescu is perfectly qualified for such a mandate. Before becoming a minister, Popescu was a researcher at the Center for European Political Studies in Brussels, then an analyst and program director at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), an analyst at the Institute for Security Studies of the European Union and a foreign policy and European integration advisor at the office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. The lastest visit he paid abroad, right on the eve of his resignation, was in Bucharest, where he had meetings with his Romanian counterpart, Luminița Odobescu, and other officials. According to the Moldovan foreign ministry, the foreign ministers of the two neighboring states discussed the development and deepening of the bilateral partnership, as well as the next steps regarding the Republic of Moldovas EU accession negotiations.
The new Foreign Minister in the cabinet headed by Dorin Recean will be the current Vice-President of the Parliament in Chişinău, Mihai Popşoi. A new ministry for European Affairs will also be created for Cristina Gherasimov, until now a Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Mihai Popşoi, who will take over his portfolio next week, already had a first telephone conversation with his Romanian counterpart, Luminiţa Odobescu, who invited him to visit Bucharest and confirmed Romania’s commitment to the development of the strategic partnership, to the advancement of joint projects and bilateral cooperation. Previously, President Klaus Iohannis also stated, at the annual meeting with the heads of accredited diplomatic missions in Bucharest, that Romania would continue to stand by Moldovas side in the process of negotiations for EU accession. He said that the decision to start negotiations represented a strategic objective for Romania and underlined that it was crucial for the Republic of Moldova to continue to receive support. (LS)
