(Bloomberg) -- Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean reshuffled his government on Wednesday, seeking to assemble a new team of diplomats to move forward the country’s effort to join the European Union. 

The premier of the nation wedged between Ukraine and Romania appointed the parliament’s deputy speaker, Mihail Popsoi, as foreign minister. He replaces Nicu Popescu, who submitted his resignation earlier, citing the need for “a break.” 

Cristina Gherasimov, a former foreign policy adviser to President Maia Sandu, was appointed to head a newly-created ministry for European affairs of the nation of 2.6 million.

“In Davos last week, many European Union leaders noticed the remarkable diplomatic efforts of Moldova’s foreign policy to bolster the country’s accession process — and this effort will now continue with a new team,” Recean said on Wednesday in a statement from Chisinau.

Moldova received candidacy status to join the EU in 2022 and is preparing to enter a new phase of its accession process after authorities in Brussels agreed late last year to start entry talks. The nation is expected to be granted access to pre-accession funds pending reforms to key sectors, such as the judiciary and the financial system.

Sandu, the pro-European president, will most likely seek reelection later this year in a vote that’s key for keeping the nation on a European course. 

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