NATO Deputy Secretary General inaugurates new NATO Liaison Office in Moldova

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

08 Dec. 2017

NATO Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller, inaugurated the new NATO Liaison Office in Moldova today (Friday 8 December 2017).

Speaking at a joint press conference with Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip, in Chișinău, Moldova the Deputy Secretary General said: "Today is the culmination of almost 25 years of partnership between NATO and Moldova. The partnership we have benefits NATO, and it benefits Moldova." The office will be staffed by civilians and will help support dialogue and cooperation between NATO and Moldova.

The partnership between NATO and Moldova focusses on improving the lives of the Moldovan people. In recent years, at the invitation of the Moldovan government, NATO has worked to safely dispose of land mines and hazardous chemicals, to develop advanced medical technologies, to strengthen Moldova's defences against cyber-attack, and to improve governance and combat corruption.
"We have been impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the Moldovan armed forces, as well as the civilian members of the Ministry of Defence," Ms. Gottemoeller stressed.

"NATO fully respects Moldova's neutrality, independence and sovereignty, but neutrality does not mean that we cannot be strong partners," the NATO Deputy Secretary General said.