Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan congratulates new Moldovan PM Vasile Tofan

Romania’s acting prime minister Ilie Bolojan sent congratulations to Vasile Tofan, who was confirmed as the Republic of Moldova’s new prime minister on Tuesday, July 21.

"I assure him of the full support and cooperation of the government of Romania. It is important that we continue to move forward with the projects on our bilateral agenda, from transportation and energy interconnection projects to those in the fields of culture and education," acting prime minister Ilie Bolojan wrote on X.

He also praised "Chișinău's progress in the EU accession process: As I have said on other occasions, Romania remains its most active and dedicated supporter."

Vasile Tofan’s cabinet was approved by the Moldovan Parliament on July 21, receiving the votes of the 53 deputies of the governing PAS party out of 101. 

Asked where he would like to make his first foreign trip during an interview, Vasile Tofan indicated Romania, mentioning the strategic partnership linking the two countries. "We have not yet agreed on the first visit. I believe we have a strategic partnership with Romania. I would like it to be Romania," replied the new prime minister.

"Now I understand that the political situation in Romania is a little more complicated than ours, but if you ask me where I would like to go on my first visit, I would like to go to Romania," Vasile Tofan added during the program "În PROfunzime" on ProTV Chișinău, in reference to Romania’s ongoing political crisis. 

He also said that a second important destination would be Brussels. As PM-designate, Tofan said he would accelerate Moldova’s accession to the EU.

In the same interview, Tofan said he has two citizenships, "like all well-intentioned Moldovans" (with dual citizenship), those of the Republic of Moldova and Romania. He added that around a third of all Moldovans are in the same situation.

Tofan, 44, studied at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Harvard Business School, and speaks fluent English, French, Dutch, Ukrainian, and Russian. 

He worked as an investor through Horizon Capital, a fund with approximately USD 1.6 billion in assets under management, focused on Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. He led investments in the companies Purcari, Glass Container Company, and Maib. He was a member of the boards of directors of AmCham Moldova, Startup Moldova, and Media Alternativa (TV8/1TV).

Earlier this month, the previous Moldovan PM, Alexandru Munteanu, announced his resignation amid an investigation by Ziarul de Gardă into the state-owned enterprise MoldATSA, the body charged with air traffic safety in the Republic of Moldova.  

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Vasile Tofan on Facebook and Gov.ro) ...