Agency for Military Science and History holds Conference “NATO and the Republic of Moldova — 30 Years of Partnership for Peace” (video)

CHISINAU, March 15, 2024 — A conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the signing by the Republic of Moldova of the Framework Document of the “Partnership for Peace” Program took place today at the Agency for Science and Military History. The event, entitled “NATO and the Republic of Moldova — 30 years of Partnership for Peace” was organized in partnership with the Ministry of Defense and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

The conference was attended by the Minister of Defense, Anatolie Nosatîi, the US Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, H.E. Kent D. Logsdon, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Margret Uebber, the Ambassador of Romania, H.E. Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, and the Ambassador of Poland, H.E. Tomasz Kobzdej, military attachés, researchers and academics.

In his message, Anatolie Nosatîi noted that the history of three decades of cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance includes a significant number of assistance projects, joint activities, training courses for the National Army personnel in relevant institutions in allied and partner countries, participation in multinational exercises both in the country and abroad, as well as expertise and exchange of experience in the context of reforming the defense structure according to international and democratic standards.

“All these achievements are the result of a high-level political dialogue, the receptiveness and openness of NATO allies and partners, as well as productive and effective cooperation among defense specialists. In this way, I would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to all those who, over the years, have responded without hesitation to the requests of the Republic of Moldova, the Ministry of Defense for assistance directed towards the development of the national defense sector. The progress made so far in this chapter is a clear proof that NATO is a strategic and reliable partner for our country,” said the Defense Minister.

The opening of the event was also attended by the Deputy Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mircea Geoană, who made a video intervention on this occasion.

“This conference is all about how we can further strengthen NATO’s partnership with the Republic of Moldova. It is now 30 years since the Republic of Moldova joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace Programme. Moldova is not seeking NATO membership, and we fully respect your constitutional neutrality. But your neutrality is not isolation. It does not prevent us from enjoying a close and growing partnership”, said Mircea Geoană.

“Last year, NATO allies agreed on a substantial additional package of support to strengthen Moldova’s defense capabilities, resilience, cyber defense, strategic communication, training and logistics. At our Vilnius Summit last July, NATO leaders agreed to step up our practical and political support for Moldova. We support Moldova’s European integration, and our cooperation will help you on your path to EU membership. NATO’s partnership with Moldova is strong. And through this conference and other collaborations, it will only become stronger,” the official added.

During the conference, the photo exhibition “Republic of Moldova-NATO: 30 years of partnership in strengthening national defense and international stability”, organized by the Ministry of Defense with the support of the Polish Embassy in Chisinau, was launched. The event also included a book presentation and a historiographical study by the collaborators of the Agency for Science and Military Memory.

The event included two panel discussions on the topics “Partnership for Peace: security programs and future perspectives” and “Partnership for Peace: developments and historical impact”, as well as presentations by scientists and academics from Moldova, Romania, Poland, representatives of the NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.