Moldova to have new ambassadors to Greece, Lithuania, Belgium, State of Qatar

Moldova will have new ambassadors to Greece, Lithuania, the Kingdom of Belgium and the State of Qatar. The parliament’s foreign policy commission today approved positive advisory opinions on the candidacies of four ambassadors of of Moldova.

According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), Alexandru Codreanu is to be appointed Ambassador of Moldova to Greece, Angelica Munteanu - as Ambassador to Lithuania, Valeriu Mija - as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Vitalie Rusu - as Ambassador to the State of Qatar.

During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister Mihai Popsoi stressed the importance of experience and professionalism in representing the country abroad, noting that the appointment of the new ambassadors shows Moldova’s commitment to a well-prepared, results-oriented diplomacy.

“The experience and skills of the four candidates will contribute to strengthening the relations with our partners and promoting the interests of Moldova. We want an active diplomacy that supports the European path, opens up economic opportunities and stays close to our citizens,” said Mihai Popsoi.

Alexandru Codreanu is a career diplomat with more than 30 years of experience at the MAE and holds the diplomatic rank of ambassador. He currently heads the General Directorate for Cooperation with the European Union. He has served as Ambassador of Moldova to the Czech Republic and to the Holy See, as well as to Hungary, with concurrent accreditation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia. He represented Moldova at the Danube Commission. He has earlier been  an adviser to the Prime Minister on foreign policy and European integration and headed the General Directorate for Bilateral Cooperation, as well as the OSCE and Council of Europe divisions at the ministry.

Angelica Munteanu is a career diplomat with more than 18 years of experience in the diplomatic service and holds the diplomatic rank of minister-counsellor. She currently serves as minister-counsellor at Moldova’s Mission to the European Union and leads the political team responsible for Moldova’s EU accession negotiations and the European Union’s enlargement process. She has earlier worked in the MAE’s European Integration Directorate and at the embassies of Moldova in Poland and the Czech Republic. She has experience in bilateral political cooperation and in relations with the EU in the fields of security and defence. She holds a master’s degree in international law from Moldova State University.

Valeriu Mija has more than 30 years of experience in national and international security and defence policy. Since 2024, he has served as state secretary at the MAE. Previously, he was State Secretary for Defence Policy and head of the Defence Policy and Defence Planning Directorate at the Defence Ministry. He worked in OSCE missions in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, as well as in election-monitoring missions in more countries. He holds a PhD in political science and is an associate professor at International Free University of Moldova (ULIM). He holds a master’s degree in international security and civil-military relations, got in the United States, and has completed executive programmes at the Harvard University, the NATO Defense College and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.

Vitalie Rusu is a career diplomat with 29 years of experience in the diplomatic service and holds the diplomatic rank of minister plenipotentiary. He currently serves as Ambassador-at-Large at the MAE, responsible for files related to the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, the Joint Control Commission and regional security problems. He also oversees the file on memory policies, including the promotion of Holocaust remembrance. He served as Ambassador of Moldova to the Czech Republic, with concurrent accreditation to the Holy See. He has earlier  held senior positions at the ministry and worked at the Permanent Missions of Moldova to the OSCE and the United Nations Office in Vienna. He holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi.

The four ambassadors will be able to start their assignments after all legal procedures have been completed, including their appointment by government decision and presidential decree.