NATO Military exercises started in Moldova

During September 11-29, the multinational peacekeeping exercise organized within the frameworks of the program Partnership for Peace: Cooperative Longbow/Lancer 2006 organized together with NATO, partner-countries (countries which signed the „Partnership for Peace Program”) and the countries of the Mediterranean Dialogue. According to the Ministry of Defense (MD), the first stage (Cooperative Longbow 06) constitutes a commandment and general staff exercise, which will take place on September 11-20 in Chisinau on the territory of MD. Cooperative Lancer is an exercise with field troops which will be organized at Bulboaca Training Center on September 18-29, 2006. About 1000 militaries and 50 civilians from the following countries and international organizations are involved in Cooperative Longbow-Lancer: 9 NATO member countries (Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the United States of America); 12 partner-countries (Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaidjan, Belarus, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Ukraine), as well as the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), local Red Cross and the civil police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Serbia participate as observers. Cooperative Longbow 06 and Cooperative Lancer 06 aim at training the officers of the General Staff and the field troops, promoting interaction in peacekeeping operations in case of response scenarios in crisis situations and humanitarian assistance operations. Previously, 3 parties from Moldova pleaded against organizing these exercises, saying that in this way the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, which stipulates permanent neutrality, is violated. According to them these exercises will worsen the situation regarding the Transnistrian conflict.