Officials, military men and parents on October 13 celebrated 20 years of the foundation of the Military Academy “Alexandru cel Bun”. On this occasion, Moldova’s President Nicolae Timofti conferred the Order “Faithfulness to the Motherland”, the first class, on the Academy in gratitude for the contribution to developing the higher vocational education, Info-Prim Neo reports. Rector-commander Mihail Buclis said that the Academy “Alexandru cel Bun” is the only higher education military institution in Moldova. “The Academy trains officers. It is a real school of bravery. In the future, it will successfully carry out the tasks set by the state administration,” he stated. Mihail Buclis also said that during the 20 years the Academy trained over 1,300 officers, took part in 43 international and bilateral exercises and is a member of the Partnership for Peace Consortium, alongside 16 countries. President Nicolae Timofti said the graduates of this institution should learn to love their country and to protect it. “In their military career, the graduates should have the same determination and sprit of patriotism as the great forerunner Alexandru cel Bun,” he stated, adding that the Academy’s tasks are to prepare officers for managing armed forces divisions and other branches of the national security system, to ensure studies of a high quality and to run linguistic training seminars and scientific researches in the areas of security and defense. During the ceremony, the military men showcased their fighting and gun handling abilities. The Military Academy “Alexandru cel Bun” was founded on July 29, 1992. The graduates receive the title of lieutenant, which is the first title of the corps of officers.