Moldova To Increase Cooperation With NATO Through Dialogue - Deputy Prime Minister

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th June, 2023) Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said Moldova plans to maintain a dialogue with NATO and increase cooperation between the republic and the North Atlantic Alliance.

Popescu took part in a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday together with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana.

"The goal of our discussion is to secure Moldova in the European space, at the same time, dialogue is a good way to increase cooperation between our country and NATO. Thank you for your support for the reform processes and the strengthening of freedom and democracy. NATO is a very important partnership for us and for maintaining peace in Europe," he said.

Popescu said it is important for the republic not to be alone and to strengthen friendly relations with states and organizations that help maintain peace and stability.

In January, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, in an interview with the Politico newspaper, said the country should abandon neutrality in order to be admitted to a military alliance. Sandu did not specifically mention NATO but had repeatedly stated that the neutrality clause of the constitution could be revised if Moldovans decide they want rapprochement with NATO.

According to the constitution of Moldova, the republic has a neutral status, but since 1994 the country has been cooperating with NATO within the framework of an individual partnership plan. There is a NATO information center in the Moldovan capital. A bureau for relations with the alliance has been operating since 2017.