North Atlantic Treaty Organization
March 17, 2014
NATO and Moldova discuss strengthening cooperation and dialogue
NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow discussed efforts to strengthen cooperation between NATO and Moldova as well as regional issues related to the situation in Ukraine with Moldovan Deputy Foreign Minister Valeriu Chiveri on Monday (17 March).
Vershbow and Chiveri agreed that NATO and Moldova will look into ways to increase political dialogue and practical cooperation for NATO and Moldova. As a concrete result of efforts to bolster ties, Moldova recently joined NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Forty-one Moldovan soldiers joined KFOR earlier this month, marking the first time Moldovan troops have contributed to a NATO operation. Ambassador Vershbow thanked Moldova for this decision, stressing that it shows Moldova’s growing contribution to Euro-Atlantic security.
Ambassador Vershbow also welcomed the fact that Moldova recently initialized an association agreement with the European Union. This shows Moldova is on track to meeting its European integration objectives, the Deputy Secretary General said. He added that European integration goes hand-in-hand with closer relations with NATO as both organisations are based on the same values. The Deputy Secretary-General also reiterated that NATO respects Moldova’s neutrality and underscored that Allies continue to support the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Moldova’s relations with NATO go back to 1992. Practical bilateral NATO cooperation with Moldova is primarily focused on defence and security sector reforms, including efforts to modernize Moldova’s military academy and strengthening transparency in the defence sector.
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