![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.comstocksmag.com\/sites\/main\/files\/imagecache\/lightbox\/main-images\/copy_of_maxim_arghir1.png\" "\\"Maxim")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n Maxim Arghir is the first Consul General for the Republic of
\n Moldova in Sacramento, which opened last year. (Photo by Eric
\n Schucht)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n Arghir is the first consul
\n general in Sacramento for the Republic of Moldova, a country in
\n Eastern Europe that gained its independence in 1991 after the
\n collapse of the Soviet Union. It\u2019s wedged between Ukraine and
\n Romania, the latter with which it shares a language. In terms of
\n land size, Moldova is slightly larger than Maryland and has a
\n population of around 2.5 million, roughly equal to the Sacramento
\n metropolitan area.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cMoldova, it\u2019s a small country,
\n but with a big heart,\u201d Arghir says. His government has wanted to
\n open a consulate on the West Coast for years and finally got
\n approval from the U.S. in late December 2024. \u201cFor me, it was a
\n big challenge,\u201d he says. \u201cWe are very grateful to our American
\n friends for this opportunity to help our citizens.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n \n Moldova opened a consulate in Natomas last year. It shares an \n Moldova is the second country to \n Moldova dedicated the Sacramento \n Greater Sacramento happens to be \n Arghir previously worked at a \n \n Noroc owner Alexandru Sirbu is active in the Sacramento region\u2019s It took a \n When the opportunity arose, he \n \u201cIt was a lot of work,\u201d Sirbu \n \n Noroc, previously called Firebird Russian Restaurant, serves a \n Sirbu is one of the thousands of \n \n Two mannequins dressed in traditional Moldovan clothes are on Today, he \n Noroc is, without a doubt, the \n Before the consulate opened in<\/a><\/p>\n
\n entrance with a State Farm Insurance office. (Photo by Eric
\n Schucht)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n open a consulate in Sacramento after Mexico, which opened its in
\n 1942. A handful of volunteer honorary consuls also operate within
\n the region. Despite being the capital of the fourth-largest
\n economy in the world, Sacramento is not a hotspot for
\n international diplomacy. Instead, countries have historically
\n opted to host their California consulates (the regional office of
\n an embassy) in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, which
\n have 62 and 43, respectively.\n<\/p>\n
\n consulate, along with another new consulate in Chicago, in March
\n 2025, and it became fully operational that June. It provides
\n services for people across 10 states. Before the new consulates
\n in Sacramento and Chicago, Moldovans across the country had to go
\n to the embassy in Washington, D.C., for certain services. They
\n can now travel much less for passports and I.D. cards. But why
\n open a consulate in the Capital Region?\n<\/p>\n
\n home to the largest Moldovan community in the U.S. Arghir says
\n about 5,000 Moldovan citizens live in the region, while the rest
\n of California has around 2,000. The city is also a centralized
\n point for Moldovans traveling from other sizable groups in
\n Seattle and Las Vegas. Arghir says Natomas was selected for its
\n proximity to the airport.\n<\/p>\n
\n consulate in Padua, a small city in northern Italy near Venice.
\n He agreed to run the Sacramento consulate after his appointment
\n because he enjoys the warm Californian weather and wanted to
\n experience different cultures and perspectives. He also had some
\n familiarity with the U.S. from his time working at his country\u2019s
\n embassy in Washington, D.C. In his free time, he likes to visit
\n museums and explore the Bay Area with his wife and son.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n Moldovan community. (Photo courtesy of Noroc)\n<\/p>\n
\n lot of effort from Moldovans here and abroad to make the two new
\n consulates a reality, including local entrepreneur Alexandru
\n Sirbu. He says his community had wanted them for quite some time.
\n Sirbu has participated in the Moldovan-American Convention, an
\n annual event organized by and for the diaspora in the U.S. He
\n says a common conversation among attendees was the need for
\n regional consulates. \u201cPeople, they were complaining,\u201d Sirbu
\n says.\n<\/p>\n
\n lent a hand as a location scout in Sacramento, filming possible
\n rentals for consideration, and helped with the logistics of
\n shipping computers and other materials to the site. Sirbu says he
\n enjoyed seeing their efforts come to fruition after attending the
\n main grand opening ceremony at the Chicago-area consulate in the
\n suburb of Naperville.\n<\/p>\n
\n says. \u201cWhen you see it operational, it\u2019s like, finally, you\u2019re
\n happy that you made that. And you see people coming already and
\n trying to connect with their roots. That\u2019s beautiful.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n variety of Eastern European dishes. (Photo courtesy of Noroc)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n Moldovans who call the Sacramento area home. He immigrated to the
\n U.S. after his wife received a green card through the Diversity
\n Immigrant Visa Program. The lottery system selects up to 55,000
\n people each year from countries with low immigration
\n rates.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n display at Noroc Restaurant in Carmichael. (Photo by Eric
\n Schucht)\n<\/p>\n
\n owns Noroc Restaurant<\/a>, an Eastern European eatery in Carmichael.
\n It was previously called Firebird Russian Restaurant until Sirbu
\n decided to drop the word \u201cRussian\u201d after the Russian military
\n invaded Ukraine. The
\n name was soon changed
\n entirely<\/a> due to an
\n alleged trademark infringement. The word Noroc means lucky in
\n Romanian. Along with the restaurant, Sirbu owns the event
\n management company Noroc Events<\/a> and Radio Ai No\u0219tri<\/a>, a digital radio station.\n<\/p>\n
\n most Moldovan restaurant in the region. Sirbu has built a shrine
\n of sorts to his home country. He has wooden bowls shaped like
\n Moldova and two mannequins wearing traditional Moldovan clothing.
\n The eatery carries Moldovan wine, which Sirbu calls \u201cone of the
\n best wines\u201d and Arghir declares \u201cthe best wine on this
\n planet.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Sacramento, Noroc was the de facto Moldovan hub in the region. It
\n hosted events and was even used as a pop-up Moldovan polling
\n station, where, most recently, around 1,500 people stopped by to
\n cast their votes. While the polling station will now be held at
\n the consulate, Noroc remains a staple in the Moldovan community.
\n The restaurant has a large sign that\u2019s hard to miss on display
\n inside the consulate, which has drawn some out-of-towners to
\n visit. Sirbu says a man from Los Angeles who traveled to
\n Sacramento for the consulate stopped by Noroc. After conversing,
\n Sirbu learned the visitor was a former classmate of his
\n brother.\n<\/p>\n