Bucharest’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminița Odobescu, engaged in a telephone discussion with Cristina Gherasimov, the newly appointed Minister of European Affairs and Chief Negotiator for Moldova’s accession to the European Union, writes Radio Moldova.
“I spoke with Cristina Gherasimov to congratulate her on her nomination for the position of Minister of European Affairs and Chief Negotiator of Moldova. Romania continues to stand by the Republic of Moldova on its journey towards integration into the EU,” wrote Luminița Odobescu.
Am discutat 📞 cu @cgherasimov pentru a o felicita pentru nominalizarea pentru poziția de ministru al afacerilor europene și negociator șef al 🇲🇩. 🇷🇴 continua să fie alături de Republica #Moldova în parcursul său către integrarea în 🇪🇺UE.
— Luminita Odobescu (@Odobes1Luminita) January 24, 2024
In turn, Cristina Gherasimov thanked the Minister from Bucharest for the warm wishes.
“I am pleased to continue our good collaboration and, in a joint effort, navigate the future stages of Moldova’s integration into the European Union. We are grateful that we can count on Romania’s unconditional support.”
Mulțumesc @Odobes1Luminita pentru urările călduroase. Mă bucură să continuăm buna noastră colaborare și, într-un efort comun, să parcurgem viitoarele etape ale integrării 🇲🇩 în 🇪🇺. Suntem recunoscători că putem conta pe sprijinul necondiționat al 🇷🇴. https://t.co/VtM3AE9DvU
— Cristina Gherasimov (@cgherasimov) January 24, 2024
It is worth noting that Nicu Popescu has announced his resignation from the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. In a press conference, Popescu stated that he announced with a “mixture of feelings,” emphasizing that alongside President Maia Sandu, in the governments led by Dorin Recean and Natalia Gavrilița, with the support of the parliamentary majority, he has achieved a series of fundamental objectives.
The portfolio of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be taken over by the current Vice President of the Parliament, Mihai Popșoi, a deputy of the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). The announcement was made by Prime Minister Dorin Recean during the government meeting. Recean expressed gratitude to Nicu Popescu for his contribution to the European integration process of the Republic of Moldova, mentioning the “exceptional” effort of the Foreign Affairs team. At the same time, Recean announced the creation of a new ministry responsible for European integration. This will be led by Cristina Gherasimov, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MAEIE), and former foreign policy advisor to President Maia Sandu