U.S. Ambassador to Moldova James Pettit became Doctor Honoris Causa of the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Nicolae Testemitanu”. The honorific title was conferred based on the decision taken by the University’s senate for contribution to developing and implementing reforms at the University in cooperation with the partner institutions of the U.S., IPN reports.

The University’s rector Ion Ababii underlined the fruitful cooperation with the relevant American institution that is almost 20 years long. “James Pettit and the team of the U.S. Embassy, which insistently support the independence policy of Moldova, during the past few years have contributed to the development of the process of democratizing the country, including the promotion of the democratic ideas among the young generation,” stated Ion Ababii.

James Pettit noted he is honored and profoundly impressed by the awarded title and is also proud of the fact that during his mandate he managed to continue the nice traditions of cooperation with the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy. “The personal relations developed within these exchanges form the backbone of our cooperation in all the areas and I’m confident that the experiences of the participants will have positive effects,” stated the diplomat.

James Pettit took up his duties in Moldova in January 2015. He speaks Russian, Spanish, the Mandarin dialect of Chinese and also Romanian, which he studied for several months before coming to Moldova.