Moldova, Ukraine or Georgia, which are between NATO and Russia, should be helped to remain independent, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Jamie Shea stated in an exclusive interview for Radio Free Europe, IPN reports.

Asked about the NATO Liaison Office that was recently opened in Chisinau, Jamie Shea said this will ensure closer ties between the sides and will help to more efficiently approach the existing security challenges. “NATO is trying to be a partner for Moldova and to help Moldova cope with challenges, while the NATO Office will enable us to have a more efficient connection with the armed forces, the competent ministries, to have a better exchange of information and clearer informing about the real needs of Moldova,” stated the official.

As to the Science for Peace and Security Program implemented by NATO in Moldova, Jamie Shea said this is the widest program implemented in the partner states, which helps them cope and improve their knowledge of the threats of the contemporary world. The information war, media manipulation and misinformation are among the mayor concerns of NATO at present. “We see how hard it is to cope with this environment that is dominated by fake news, trolls – misinformation agents that produce false information under false identities. This situation led to an information war that produces a lot of confusion in our societies,” he stated.

Jamie Shea said NATO is trying to be well prepared to cope with these challenges and to offer consultancy to the member states and fight the information war that does not respect geographical borders. He considers Russia resorts to a policy that wasn’t successful in the past and intimidates the neighbors with its military force and even annexes their territories, as it happened in the case of Crimea.

According to the official, Moldova can choose the pace and speed of the cooperation with NATO, while NATO can develop flexible formats that meet the needs of the country because NATO pursues no other goal than having stable partners and a stable Moldova is good both for Moldova and for NATO. Currently, NATO is adjusting to Moldova’s needs, while Moldova, for its part, is adjusting to the requirements of NATO.