Moldova swears in new government amid Russia tensions
February 16, 2023
Moldova's parliament ratified the cabinet of the country's new Prime Minister Dorin Recean Thursday, following last week's surprise resignation of former prime minister Natalia Gavrilita.
Tensions in the small frontline state on Ukraine's southwestern border are running high, amid allegations that Russia has sought to stage a coup and depose the pro-western government of President Maia Sandu.
Who is the head of Moldova's new government?
Prior to the vote to approve his cabinet, Recean told members of parliament: "Moldova is under hybrid attacks. We fought against these threats last autumn, but a new, stronger wave is just beginning."
Recean previously served as Sandu's defense and security advisor in his capacity as Secretary of the Supreme Security Council. His background is in economics and the big data and technology sector.
All 63 members of Moldova's ruling Party of Action and Solidarity in the country's 101-seat parliament voted in favor of Recean's government with one absence.
The pro-Russian Communists and Socialists, who hold 31 seats, did not vote and the 6 members of parliament from the Shor Party, named for exiled oligarch Illan Shor, boycotted altogether.
As Sandu swore in the new government Thursday, she remarked that the country faced "a very difficult period, marked by multiple crises."
The cabinet is largely unchanged under Recean, with the foreign affairs, interior, and defense ministers all remaining in their roles.
What is the current political situation in Moldova?
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February 24, Moldova has joined Ukraine's calls in asking for EU membership.
Analysts have suggested that former Prime Minister Gavrilita had not been ambitious enough regarding the institutional and economic reforms required to join the 27-nation bloc.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic in the 20th century, is currently contending with an energy supply crunch brought on by Russia's attacks on Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure.
The energy disruptions have fueled an anti-government protest movement in recent months.
As she swore in the new government, Sandu told members of the incoming cabinet, "We need decisive steps to strengthen the security of the country."
"The war in Ukraine continues, and this war carries risks for us," she added.
What is the current security situation in Moldova?
The Interior Ministry in Chisinau said that the debris of a Russian missile had been found in a field in the northern part of the country near the border with Ukraine on Thursday.
It was the fourth time such debris had been located on Moldovan soil, Chisinau said.
Last Friday, the Russian ambassador was summoned to explain the violation of Moldovan airspace. The Interior Ministry said it had already denounced Russian missile overflights last October.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv intercepted intelligence indicating Moscow plotted "to break the democracy of Moldova and establish control over Moldova."
Russian forces maintain a presence in the eastern, breakaway region of Moldova, Trans-Dniester. Though it officially refers to those forces as peacekeepers, they support Moscow-aligned separatists active there.
On Monday, Sandu said Russia plotted to violently depose her government by infiltrating the anti-government protest movement with saboteurs. Russia has denied those claims.
ar/rs (AFP, AP, Reuters)