Entry ban to Romania for Chisinau Mayor, another two Moldovan citizens: Represent a Risk to National Security

  Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban and another two Moldovan citizens are under a ban to enter Romania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday."For reasons related to national security, Romania has ordered an entry ban to its national territory for Mr. Ion Ceban and another two citizens of the Republic of Moldova. The decision falls under the competence of Romanian institutions, in accordance with the relevant regulations," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said, specifying that the prohibition refers to access to the Schengen Area.   Ion Ceban began his political career in the Republic of Moldova with the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM), a center-left party known for promoting closer ties with the Russian Federation. In 2018, Ceban ran for the mayoralty of Chisinau in local elections but was defeated. Those elections, however, were not validated. In 2019, Ceban ran again and successfully became mayor of the capital, supported by the pro-Russian party led by Igor Dodon, a position he retained following the 2023 local elections.   Two years after first being elected mayor with the support of PSRM, Ion Ceban announced from the Chisinau city hall podium that he was leaving the Socialist Party and launching the National Alternative Movement (MAN), which, according to him, “will be an alternative to the current government.” During his second term, Ceban shifted his rhetoric, suddenly becoming pro-European. However, despite publicly claiming to support European integration, a document issued by the United States in 2022 identified the party led by Ceban as one of the entities through which the Russian Federation—via FSB agent Iurii Gudilin—was attempting to influence the political situation in Moldova.   According to the U.S. sanctions document issued in 2022 against 21 individuals and entities, including Ilan ?or and Vlad Plahotniuc, the U.S. Department of State noted that FSB agent Iurii Gudilin’s efforts aimed to support a new political movement—MAN, led by the former Socialist and current mayor of the capital, Ion Ceban, as further reported by journalists from Ziarul de Garda.   Vasile Tarlev, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, and journalist Natalia Morari are the other two Moldovan citizens who have been banned from entering Romania, alongside Chisinau mayor Ion Ceban, according to reports from the Moldovan press on Wednesday.   The information regarding the two was confirmed to the Deschide.MD portal by officials from both Bucharest and Chisinau.   Vasile Tarlev currently leads the pro-Russian party “Viitorul Moldovei” (“The Future of Moldova”). During the 2024 presidential elections, Vasile Tarlev was actively promoted by members of the “?OR” group.   Recently, he visited Russia where, together with representatives of PSRM, PCRM, and Irina Vlah (who served as governor – or bascan – of the Gagauz region from 2015 to 2023), he held several discussions with Russian officials, the portal notes. Last year, Tarlev ran in the autumn presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova. He was the candidate of the “Viitorul Moldovei” party.   Tarlev served as Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova from 2001 to 2008, making him the longest-serving prime minister in the neighboring country. Journalist Natalia Morari was at the center of a scandal in 2021 after it was revealed that she was in a relationship with fugitive oligarch Veaceslav Platon, accused of being involved in the theft of a billion dollars from Moldovan banks. In March 2025, she conducted an interview with Calin Georgescu.   The journalist who organized the interview with Georgescu, Natalia Morari, ran for president in the Republic of Moldova in the fall of 2024. She is a well-known journalist who has worked, among others, at Publika TV and TV8. Morari has spoken out against Moldova joining international sanctions against Russia.   “It is normal to have normal relations with everyone, based on economic interest. Simply don’t meddle where you shouldn’t, don’t participate where you shouldn’t, you are too small for that. Let the big guys understand each other. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow the moment will come when they will sit down and understand each other. And what will we do after all this screaming?”, Morari said in a TV show.   On October 20, 2024, in the first round, Morari obtained only 0.61% of the votes. In 2021, Morari left TV8, the channel he founded, in a scandal when it was revealed that he was in a relationship with fugitive oligarch Veaceslav Platon, now hiding in London.   Veaceslav Platon is accused in three criminal cases pending in the courts of the Republic of Moldova, two for fraud and one for forgery of bank cards. He was also sentenced in Russia to 20 years in prison for bank fraud.