Appointment of new ambassadors to Moldova and Romania is a delicate issue, expert

An important thing in reestablishing the Moldovan-Romanian diplomatic relations is the appointment of new ambassadors in Chisinau and Bucharest, considers Eugen Revenco, program coordinator at the Foreign Policy Association.

The expert told that the naming of the new ambassadors is a somehow delicate issue. “Moldova does not have a President with full powers, while Romania is to hold presidential elections soon and it is not the most opportune moment to appoint ambassadors, though this is not excluded,” Revenco said. He added that the discussions between the two countries will not produce the expected result owing to the unstable political situation in Chisinau and Bucharest.

Asked what we can expect from the visit of the acting Foreign Minister of Romania Catalin Predoiu to Chisinau, which was scheduled for this week, the expert said that many Romanian ministers come to Moldova only for several hours. Such visits help improve the image, but leave room for speculation. Eugen Revenco considers that the Moldovan foreign minister should also pay a visit to Bucharest.

Asked if the Border Treaty between Moldova and Romania could be signed now, Revenco said that it is not the right moment as this is an excessively politicized issue. “Now there should be discussed such subjects as the preparation of the Convention on Small-Scale Border Traffic for signing, the opening of consulates in Balti and Cahul. Romania will thus show how quickly it is ready to open these consulates in Moldova and could decide whether to open a Moldovan consulate in Iasi,” the expert said.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Iurie Leanca had a telephone conversation with Catalin Predoiu. The ministers discussed the priorities in the bilateral relations between the two states, Moldova’s European integration prospects and the possibility of holding a bilateral meeting in the near future.

In a communiqué, the Romanian Foreign Ministry says that Minister Catalin Predoiu during the discussion stressed that the two countries should have close and privileged relations and reiterated Romania’s readiness to develop them.