At their meeting on Tuesday at NATO Headquarters, Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană and Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita reaffirmed NATO’s readiness to strengthen its relationship with the Republic of Moldova while fully respecting its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Mr. Geoană commended Moldova for its participation in NATO’s Kosovo peacekeeping mission as well as its ongoing efforts to modernize and reform its armed forces. In addition, he applauded Moldova for supporting Ukrainian refugees despite threats and economic pressure from Moscow and for denouncing Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
He continued by saying that the horrific Russian invasion had prompted the Allies and partners to examine and strengthen their security and defense strategies.
In addition, the Deputy Secretary General congratulated the Prime Minister for accepting Moldova’s offer to send search and rescue workers to its ally Turkey through NATO in the wake of yesterday’s dreadful earthquakes.
NATO Allies decided to increase their support for Moldova in order to help it build its resilience and civil preparation at the Madrid NATO Summit in 2022. Along with years of assistance from NATO in eradicating harmful pesticides, bolstering cyber defenses, and promoting good military governance, this is the latest development.
When NATO’s defense ministers gather in Brussels later in February, Mr. Geoană underlined that specialized help for Moldova will be on the table.
