Larisa Miculeț has been relieved of her duties as presidential adviser and will take up the role of interim head of the Republic of Moldova’s diplomatic mission in Ireland, the presidential office published on 29 May 2026.
The shift comes at a specific moment: Miculeț said she is returning to Ireland “for a period” precisely because of Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union, tying the personnel change directly to Moldova’s push on its European agenda.
Miculeț brings two decades of experience in Moldova’s foreign service and has previously served as ambassador to Israel, Cyprus and Ireland, as well as deputy representative at Moldova’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. That experience, officials say, is the rationale for sending her to Dublin now, after Jana Costachi — who led the mission in Dublin from March 2025 — was recalled earlier in May at the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The timeline in public reports creates an awkward overlap. One report notes Miculeț’s appointment as presidential adviser took place on 2 May 2025 and says the decree relieving her entered into force on 29 May 2026; the same 29 May notices also carry Miculeț’s announcement that she will go to Ireland as interim head of mission. The paperwork, the dates and the announcements line up on paper, but the notices do not spell out when she will assume the Dublin post or how long she will remain there.
Miculeț framed the move as a continuation of work she began during the last year at the presidential office, saying it was an honour to have served on President Maia Sandu’s team and that she accepted the new responsibility with gratitude and a desire to contribute where she can be most useful. She said she will work with the embassy team and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen dialogue and coordination between Moldovan and Irish authorities in support of Moldova’s European objectives.
For Moldova, the personnel change matters because Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union is viewed as a window for diplomatic engagement that could advance the country’s European priorities. Sending a seasoned diplomat with prior experience in Dublin signals an intent to keep that channel active during the presidency, even as the mission’s leadership changes.
What remains unresolved and now matters most is the duration and start date of Miculeț’s interim posting. Public notices do not specify when she will present credentials in Dublin or whether her role is a short-term stopgap until a permanent ambassador is named. That question is consequential: the length of her stay will determine how consistently Moldova can coordinate with Irish authorities through the presidency and beyond.
