Netherlands opens full embassy in Moldova

From Wednesday, the Netherlands has a full-fledged embassy in Moldova. The opening of the embassy is part of the Netherlands’ reinforced efforts in Europe, especially on the eastern borders, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, NOS reports.

Moldova is one of Ukraine’s neighbors and has been a candidate for EU membership since last year. It is the fastest shrinking country in Europe, going from 4.4 million residents in 1990 to 2.6 million in 2023, according to the broadcaster. There is quite a bit of unrest in the country, with Russian troops active in the breakaway region of Transnistria and many Moldovan people protesting against the country’s aim to join the European Union.

Until now, the Netherlands only had an embassy office in the Moldovan capital Chisinau, which fell under the embassy in Romania. Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs will open the full-fledged embassy later on Wednesday. The Netherlands and other EU countries want to prevent Russia from “drawing Moldova into its sphere of influence in a non-democratic manner,” according to Hoekstra.

“The Netherlands has a great interest in security island stability on the eastern border,” the Dutch Minister said. “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.”

Fred Duijn will be the first Dutch ambassador to Moldova. Until last month, he worked as coordinator of Taskforce MH17, the Foreign Affairs unit that handled the aftermath of the 2014 plane crash. Before that, he was deputy ambassador to Morocco and Ireland.