NOS News•
As of today, the Netherlands has a full-fledged embassy in Moldova. Until now, the capital Chisinau only had an embassy office, which came under the embassy in Romania. Now the post in the Eastern European country is getting an ‘upgrade’.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the opening is part of the reinforced efforts of the Netherlands in Europe, particularly on the eastern borders. Moldova is a neighboring country of Ukraine and has been a candidate for EU membership since last year. Russian troops are active in the breakaway region of Transnistria.
Minister Hoekstra will officially open the embassy later today. “The Netherlands has a great interest in security and stability on the eastern border,” he says.
According to Hoekstra, the Netherlands, together with other European countries, wants to prevent Russia from “drawing Moldova into its sphere of influence in a non-democratic manner”. “Opening an embassy means representation at the highest level and expanding the occupation of the post, which will allow us to intensify cooperation with Moldova.”
The first ambassador in Moldova is Fred Duijn. Until last month, he worked as coordinator of Taskforce MH17, the Foreign Affairs department that deals with the aftermath of the 2014 air disaster. Previously, he was deputy ambassador to Morocco and Ireland.
