NATO and Moldova discuss ways to strengthen partnership
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Moldovan Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici to NATO on Monday (16 March 2015) for talks on strengthening the partnership between the Alliance and Chișinău. Calling Moldova “a valued NATO partner”, the Secretary General underlined that “all NATO Allies support Moldova’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and respect its constitutional neutrality.”
During their meeting, the Prime Minister and the Secretary General took the next step towards establishing a Defence Capacity Building Initiative for Moldova. “This initiative will help your country modernize the defence and security sectors,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. He further noted that Moldova has agreed to an “impressive” Individual Partnership Action Plan with the Alliance, and the NATO remains committed “to support Moldova in all reform areas it has chosen.”
“We believe that developing our cooperation further will benefit both Moldova and NATO,” the Secretary General said; adding “through cooperation with NATO, Moldova can make its armed forces even more professional, and make a stronger contribution to peace.”
Mr. Stoltenberg also thanked the Prime Minister for Moldova’s contribution to NATO’s KFOR mission in Kosovo. “Everything you do shows that Moldova is a real contributor to peace and stability and cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic area,” he said.