Igor Dodon was sworn in as Moldova`s new president on December 23, calling for unity in the divided country and pledging to maintain Moldova`s neutrality, according to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.
The inaugural ceremony at the Palace of the Republic in Chisinau was attended by dignitaries from Russia, Belarus, Hungary and other European Union and former Soviet states, RFE/RL reported.
Dodon addressed thousands of people who gathered outside the palace before he was sworn in, telling them he would be president of all Moldovans and pledging to unite a country divided after his narrow election.
”A union of both banks of the Dniester River is a primary objective of my tenure,” he said. ”I would like to address those who had voted for other parties: let`s descend from the barricades and rally together for the sake of a better future. All of us – the Moldovans, the Russians, the Ukrainians, and the Gagauz, are all citizens of one country.”
Dodon assured that Moldova would remain a neutral state, saying he has plans to visit Moscow next month and will travel to Brussels shortly afterwards.
”Neutrality is a something sacred, which no one can take away from us,” he said. ”We will build bridges to the East and to the West.”
