The nomination of Claudiu Năsui as Minister of Economy in the Chișinău government is a stepping stone towards Romania’s annexation of the Republic of Moldova, pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon claims in statements echoed across Russian propaganda outlets.
NEWS: “Moldovan President Maia Sandu and the ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) are preparing the public to accept the idea of unifying with Romania by handing over key leadership roles in Moldova to Romanian citizens. The claim was made on Tuesday, August 25, by former Moldovan President and leader of the Party of Socialists, Igor Dodon.
“On the eve of Independence Day, the Action and Solidarity Party is showing total disregard for the Moldovan people by pushing a Romanian official into a ministerial role. This is a calculated effort to incrementally prepare Moldovan society and state institutions for the country's annexation by Romania”, the former head of state said.
Igor Dodon added that he has lost track of how many Romanian citizens currently hold high-ranking offices in Moldova. He argued that under PAS rule, the Republic is eroding its sovereignty and independence, placing its very statehood at risk. The former president went on to label the ruling party's administration a symbol of national betrayal, according to RIA Novosti.
Recently, the lower house of the Romanian Parliament approved a bill endorsing unification with the Republic of Moldova. The measure was introduced in February despite initially receiving unfavorable reviews from both the Government and parliamentary committees”.
NARRATIVES: 1. Appointing Romanian citizens to public office is a calculated step towards annexing Moldova. 2. The Romanian Parliament has passed a bill approving the unification with the Republic of Moldova.
PURPOSE: To portray the authorities in Chișinău as puppets controlled by Bucharest and to push the narrative according to which appointing Romanian citizens to public positions is part of a deliberate surrender of Moldovan sovereignty, peaking with the country's “annexation” by Romania. The aim is to undermine public trust in the pro-European government, create the impression that Romania is actively orchestrating a unification backed by Bucharest institutions, and to fuel public resentment towards closer ties between the two nations.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The nomination of Claudiu Năsui, Romania’s former Minister of Economy (2020–2021), for the same portfolio in Chișinău is by no means evidence of a forced unification or “annexation”, as Igor Dodon frames it. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan explained that he chose Năsui because they share the same economic vision, and because local Moldovan experts with comparable experience mostly work in the private sector and are reluctant to transition to public service.
Furthermore, this would not be the first time Moldova’s Ministry of Economy has been led by someone born outside the country who acquired citizenship later. Between 2015 and 2016, the post was held by Stephane Christophe Bride, a French citizen born in Senegal. Unsurprisingly, no one raised alarms about an imminent annexation by France or Senegal at the time.
Dodon also wildly exaggerates the number of Romanian citizens holding key roles in Moldova. To date, there have been only four: Daniel-Marius Staicu, director of the Service for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering (2022–2024); National Bank Governor Anca Dragu, appointed in December 2023; National Bank Deputy Governor Mihnea Constantinescu, appointed a year later; and Ramona-Victoria Strugariu, the director of the National Institute of Justice, appointed in February 2025.
As for the bill supposedly approving unification, it refers to a controversial proposal by Diana Șoșoacă that merely advanced through “tacit adoption”, meaning it passed automatically without floor debate, to be submitted to the Senate. As Veridica previously noted, tacit adoption carries no legal weight, and the chances of the bill actually passing the Senate, especially given all the negative advisory opinions it received, are virtually zero.
This is hardly the first time Igor Dodon has sounded the alarm over Moldova’s alleged “annexation” by Romania, and Veridica has repeatedly debunked these rehashed false narratives, including past coverage of Șoșoacă’s bill.
BACKGROUND: On July 22, the Chișinău Parliament confirmed a new Cabinet led by Vasile Tofan. Just two days later, Agriculture Minister Radu Mustață resigned amid controversy over his alleged undisclosed ties to the Democratic Party, controlled by oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc. On August 25, Prime Minister Tofan announcedplans to replace Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugen Osmochescu to the Agriculture portfolio, designating Claudiu Năsui to fill the vacant economic post.
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