Moldovan President Maia Sandu has appointed a new prime minister to keep her country on a pro-EU trajectory. 

She appointed Dorin Recea, a well-known pro-EU figure and current national security adviser, replacing Natalia Gavrili?a, as the new head of government. The Moldovan parliament, where Sandu's party has a comfortable majority of 63 out of 101 seats, will vote to confirm the appointment next week, foreign media reported. 

In a surprise press conference on Friday, now former prime minister Gavrili?a announced that she would resign along with her pro-Western government. Moldova was granted EU candidate status last June, along with Ukraine, but the government has faced intense pressure from Moscow, which has sought to undermine its authority. 

"If our government had the same support at home as we had from our European partners, we could have advanced further and faster," Gavrili?a said. "Moldova is entering a new phase, in which security is our priority," she added. 

President Maia Sandu said she will start discussions with political parties in parliament to appoint a new prime minister. The Moldovan government has long accused Russia, which has military bases in the breakaway region of Transnistria in the east, of fomenting unrest in the country, including protests in the capital, Chisinau.