The President of Moldova Nicolae Timofti pleaded for strengthening and optimizing the cooperation between Moldova, the United States and NATO in different areas, including by opening a NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau. On March 24, the Head of State had a meeting with General Philip M. Breedlove, Commander of United States European Command, who is in Moldova on a two-day visit, IPN reports.
According to the presidential press service, Nicolae Timofti welcomed the visit by the U.S. general and appreciated the continuous assistance provided by the United States and NATO to strengthen Moldova’s defense capacities and to implement reforms in defense and security. “We appreciate the contribution of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the U.S. to promoting peace in Europe and the world,” stated the President.
The officials discussed the current regional and global security environment in the context of terrorism proliferation. General Breedlove welcomed the President’s decision to decree March 24 a national mourning day, saying the recent attacks involved U.S. military men too.
Philip M. Breedlove also toured the Bulboaca National Training Center, where the U.S. is supporting renovations to create a modern training facility. He had a meeting with Minister of Defense Anatol Salaru with whom he took stock of the military cooperation between Moldova and the U.S., underlining the development of the partnership between the two armies.
The minister appreciated the substantial contribution of the U.S. Government to reforming and modernizing the Moldovan army by implementing projects to provide expertise, logistic support and training in U.S. military schools.
General Breedlove noted the national army’s role in strengthening peace and security in the region and the world by taking part in peacekeeping operations alongside military men from the U.S. and other states. He said that the United States will continue to support Moldova and its army by projects designed to improve military training, in accordance with the international standards.
This visit of March 23-24 is part of a larger regional visit, which also included a stop in Georgia.
