A NATO Liaison Office will be set up in Chisinau. An agreement to this effect was signed by Prime Minister Pavel Filip and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, IPN reports, quoting the Government’s press office.

“I’m confident that the opening of this Office will contribute to realizing the potential of cooperation with the Alliance by implementing the exiting initiatives, ensuring communication on the NATO programs and new projects carried out with the Alliance’s support,” Pavel Filip said on this occasion.

In the event, the Premier reiterated Moldova’s interest in strengthening the political dialogue and practical cooperation with the NATO based on the Partnership for Peace and the country’s principle of constitutional neutrality. “The objectives of this cooperation are defined in the Individual Partnership Action Plan that our country has been implementing since 2006,” he stated.

Pavel Filip approved of the NATO support from which the Moldovan institutions benefitted and continue to benefit. “I want to note the recent launch of three important projects for the Republic of Moldova within the Science for Peace and Security Program. The completion of the project to destroy a considerable stockpile of pesticides and dangerous chemicals in the Republic of Moldova remains another priority in the bilateral agenda whose implementation will bring tangible benefits for the people’s health and the environment,” said the Premier.

For his part, Jens Stoltenberg said the NATO Liaison Office is a civil, not military one, noting the North Atlantic Alliance respects the neutrality status of Moldova and its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

”We are focused on the cooperation with the Republic of Moldova. The stability and prosperity of the Republic of Moldova is important for NATO,” stated the NATO Secretary General. According to him, the NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau could be inaugurated next spring.