President Igor Dodon called all Moldova’s ambassadors, on a brief meeting in Chișinău. During the meeting, Dodon told the ambassadors that they are not there to rest and should bring investments into the country. Following the meeting, the government recalled six ambassadors and appointed a new one to Turkey. 

ZdG took a closer look at the whole story and asked the experts about Dodon’s recent move. 

Moldova’s Ambassadors Came for a Brief Meeting in Chișinău

Moldova has 35 diplomatic missions abroad, which have to defend the country’s interests abroad. In Moldova, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration is the one responsible for handling the country’s foreign affairs. 

On February 11, 2020, Moldova’s ambassadors from all around the world gathered in Chișinău on a brief meeting. 

During the meeting, Dodon claimed that the ambassadors are not sent abroad to rest, pointing out that they should promote Moldova’s image abroad and bring investments into the country. He claimed that the ambassadors raise salaries from public money and they should bring real results of their work, and those who can’t manage their duties should be recalled.

Dodon said that together with Prime Minister, Ion Chicu they decided to promote professional diplomatic missions abroad.  

Six ambassadors recalled and a new appointment. Who are they?

Following the meeting, the government recalled six ambassadors and appointed a new ambassador for Turkey. 

The government recalled Moldova’s ambassadors to Romania, Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, China, and Bulgaria, appointing a new ambassador to Turkey. 

Mihai Gribincea, Moldova’s ambassador to Romania was appointed by a decree of President Nicolae Timofti, on November 5, 2015.

Vitalie Rusu, Moldova’s ambassador to the Czech Republic was also appointed by Timofti in June 2016. 

Victor Osipov, Moldova’s ambassador to Austria was appointed in May 2017, being also Moldova’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, the UN Office and the International Organizations in Vienna. Previously Osipov was Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister for the reintegration in the government led by Vlad Filat, between September 25, 2009 – January 14, 2011, and in the Government of Gaburici and the Government of Streleț, between February 18, 2015, and January 20, 2016. 

The other three ambassadors are Veaceslav Dobândă, Moldova’s ambassador to Sweden, Denis Jelimalai, Moldova’s ambassador to China and Ștefan Gorda, Moldova’s ambassador to Bulgaria. 

The Chicu government will appoint new ambassadors to the six countries. 

At the same time, the government appointed a new ambassador to Turkey, Dmitri Croitoru, a former Bashkan of the UTA Gagauzia. 

Croitoru was the Bashkan of UTA Gagauzia from 1999 to 2002 resigning from office at the pressure of the Communist Party administration. He was also a deputy and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

About the fact that Moldova’s next ambassador to Turkey will be a former Bashkan of the UTA Gagauzia Dodon announced in mid-August. 

• Moldova Is to Have a New Ambassador to Turkey
• Moldova’s Next Ambassador to Turkey Could Be a Former Bashkan of UTA Gagauzia

ZdG decided to ask the experts opinion regarding Dodon’s speech in front of the ambassadors. 

Dionis Cenușă, the economic expert and project coordinator at the Independent Analytical Center Expert Group said that before accusing all the ambassador the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should’ve made an internal evaluation for every embassy. 

Cenușă also mentioned that it is not at all clear how justified Dodon’s comment is that the ambassadors would feel/behave as if they were sent to rest abroad. 

“The embassies should do their job well, which is to promote the country’s interests abroad. This is important. And there is a practical question related to the economic diplomacy itself. 

Is there such a thing in Moldovan diplomatic missions, but in a practical way? How does investment attract and stimulate economic contacts? Any methodology, guide or something else that points to concrete steps and performance evaluation criteria? For this reason, any criticism from Dodon is pointless. And the effect is the opposite of motivating – intimidation. 

The president forgets that while governing with the ACUM bloc he was determined to divide the embassies on political and not professional criteria. 

If one were to really focus on professional training, then in front of the embassies would not be called loyal people to the ruling party, but to the country and the citizens,” Dionis Cenuşă, commented regarding Dodon’s critics towards ambassadors.  

Andrei Popov, former ambassador of Moldova to Austria and Slovakia, told us that since 2010, the appointment of ambassadors on political criteria is no longer practiced.

“In the last 10 years, this practice has been overcome. Since 2010, most ambassadors have been appointed from the diplomatic system. At the end of the 1990s, it was a practice as many former politicians were called ambassadors. 

Currently, out of about 35 Moldovan ambassadors, those who come from outside the diplomatic system are exceptions, only about two or three people. Since 2010, it has been urged to return to normal practices, as in other states, so Moldova would have a real diplomatic corp made of career ambassadors.
Starting with 2010, the diplomats were chosen based on their career and not on their political background. Looking at Moldova’s embassies and ambassadors now, only three ambassadors have not previously worked within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In fact, these three were named by Dodon’s decree. The rest of the ambassadors are career graduates,” commented Andrei Popov.