Opening the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, April 1992

The U.S. Embassy in Moldova, located in a historic building at 103 Mateevici St. in Chisinau

[image source]

Some of the cables that I received in response to my FOIA request for cables dealing with the post-Soviet conflicts highlight other interesting events from the time of the Soviet breakup.  This was a time when the U.S. had to open a whole bunch of new embassies, including one in the newly independent Republic of Moldova.  The report on the opening of the Embassy in Chisinau included a discussion of the situation in Transdniester and its impact on the Moldovan government:

The deterioration of the situation in the Trans-Dniester is occupying almost all the time of this very small, neophyte government.  While Moldovan officials have the understandable tendency to inflate the importance of their own republic, Embassy Chisinau finds many of their concerns well-founded.

Embassy Chisinau Opens: Moldovan Officials Discuss Trans-Dniester Crisis (March 26, 1992)


And what sort of environment would U.S. diplomats posted to Chisinau find in the capital of newly independent Moldova? This "Preliminary Post Report" from April 13 details a bygone era of wine for 80 rubles a bottle (at an exchange rate of 125 rubles to the dollar) and when travelers using Air Moldova had to be reassured that the airline "to date has a worse reputation than it actually deserves. The stories of standing passengers, four-legged passengers and other non-FAA approved behavior have so far not been witnessed on Air Moldova."

Preliminary Post Report for Chisinau (April 13, 1992)