The presence of the Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicu Popescu at the NATO Summit in Vilnius is a clear signal of support for the Republic of Moldova in the context of the security crisis in the region, said expert of the Platform for Security and Defense Initiatives Elena Murzac. For his part, expert Victor Juc described the NATO Summit as a success for Ukraine, which, even if it didn’t obtain a calendar plan for joining NATO, enjoys full military and economic support from the Alliance, IPN reports.
In a joint statement, NATO Allies reiterate their support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders and call on Russia to withdraw all of its forces stationed in the Transnistrian region without Moldova’s consent.
“They sought the withdrawal of the forces stationed illegally, ascertained the necessity of building the resilience and strengthening the Republic of Moldova’s independence, asked for support for the European course and continuation of reforms. This shows that NATO transcends the military aspects and is a political alliance. It was also reiterated the support for the constitutional neutrality of the Republic of Moldova. No matter how many scarecrows there are, NATO respects our neutrality and does not dare to neglect this principle,” WatchDog expert Andrei Curărău stated in the talk show “Emphasis on Today” on TVR Moldova channel.
Boeing in Vilnius, expert of the Platform for Security and Defense Initiatives Elena Murzac said the presence of the Moldovan minister of foreign affairs at the NATO Summit clearly shows that the North Atlantic Alliance supports Moldova’s European course and the strengthening of the country’s security.
“The NATO Secretary General said the summit is a success as Turkey gave its consent to have 32 member countries. For the first time, we had a foreign affairs minister who represented our country at the NATO Summit. It is a powerful signal for our county as regards the development of this partnership of the Republic of Moldova with NATO. The development of the partnership takes place because we are in a difficult zone, in a hostile security environment in which Russia’s aggression is evident,” stated Elena Murzac.
Even if NATO has not set out any timeframe for Ukraine’s entry, Kyiv obtained considerable benefits as a result of the Vilnius Summit, said expert Victor Juc. In a joint statement, NATO vowed to aid Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’.
“Ukraine received from this summit what it wanted. Speaking about the accession perspective is one thing, but setting a calendar plan is another thing. This runs counter to the previous NATO practices. However, Ukraine de jure is not a member state, but de facto it is like an allied country. Ukraine was assured that it will continue being supplied with a lot of armament. Ukraine will get even more military assistance as many countries at bilateral level declared that they will ship tanks, munitions and even aircraft,” said the director of the Institute for Legal, Political and Sociological Research of the Moldova State University Victor Juc.
While in Vilnius, Minister Nicu Popescu said the Republic of Moldova wants Ukraine to be more profoundly integrated into the European and Euro-Atlantic organizations as Moldova’s security will also be ensured this way.
