The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, has announced that he is resigning from his position as Deputy Prime Minister. The announcement was made by the head of Moldovan diplomacy in a press briefing.
“At this stage, I need a break, but I will continue to contribute to supporting the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union.”
The reasons for Nicu Popescu’s departure from the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration are not yet known. In his place, the Vice President of the Parliament, Mihai Popșoi, is expected to take over. He is also a member of the parliamentary committee on foreign policy and European integration.
Nicu Popescu is a political scientist and diplomat from the Republic of Moldova who has held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova in the Government of Dorin Recean. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the governments of Maia Sandu (2019) and Natalia Gavrilița (2022–2023).
Popescu holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia. He has a master’s degree in International Relations and European Studies from Central European University (CEU), Budapest, Hungary, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Department of International Relations and European Studies, Central European University (CEU), Budapest, Hungary.
Nicu Popescu has also worked at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Paris Office. He served as an advisor on foreign policy and European integration issues in the Filat Government. He is the author of several publications and research papers focusing on foreign policy and countries in conflict zones.
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In the last year (2022-2023), Popescu successfully revitalized bilateral relations with Romania to a new level. Due in part to the diplomatic support from the neighboring country, new European projects were launched in Chisinau. These include the EU Partnership Mission and the European Instrument for Peace, which contributes to strengthening the national army capabilities of the Republic of Moldova.
Through joint diplomatic efforts with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu, roaming charges between the Republic of Moldova and Romania were eliminated. Subsequently, through diplomatic negotiations with the EU, it was decided to gradually eliminate roaming charges with the EU, starting from January 1, 2024.
Nicu Popescu actively contributed to the organization of the second edition of the European Political Community Summit, which took place in Moldova on June 1, 2023, and most importantly, led the country towards the opening of accession negotiations.