Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, admitted that referring to the Transnistrian conflict as a “civil war” in remarks during Monday’s visit to Bucharest was a “regrettable gaffe”.

“Yesterday in Bucharest I used an unfortunate turn of phrase when speaking about the Transnistrian conflict. The use of that phrasing was a gaffe that I regret and I hope we can all overcome this moment of misunderstanding in my public discourse”, Popescu posted on his FB account.

More important now, Popescu went on, is to focus on the future and on the implementation of a very busy European integration agenda.

“I would like to assure you that despite this regrettable gaffe, my work will further focus on unblocking Moldova’s foreign relations, intensifying cooperation with Romania, Ukraine and the European Union, because only in this way can our country succeed in overcoming this period of political and economic crisis into which we have been plunged in the last few years,” posted Popescu.

During Monday’s meeting with his Romanian counterpart Teodor Meleșcanu in Bucharest, Nicu Popescu said: “The Government in Chisinau is eager to facilitate, to make life easier for our compatriots who, because of a civil war in 1992, live in the Transnistrian region”.