Parliament ratified the agreement between Moldova and NATO on the creation of a NATO Liaison Office in Moldova. A bill to this effect was passed in two readings by the votes of 59 MPs in the December 9 sitting, IPN reports.
Minister of Justice Vladimir Cebotari, reporting in Parliament, said the accord no way affects the country’s neutrality status and does not mean a new cooperation level with the North Atlantic Alliance. The goal of the Liaison Office is to support the communication with Moldova within the Partnership for Peace and other agreed activities. This will enable to fully use the assistance offered by NATO.
Communist leader Vladimir Voronin criticized the initiative, saying it is unconstitutional because it wasn’t presented by the Ministry of Forage Affairs. He requested to postpone the examination of the bill. As his proposal wasn’t accepted, the Communist group left the assembly hall.
Socialist MP Vlad Batrancea said the Socialists have a number of questions to Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Galbur, who is now away. He noted that many of the MPs didn’t see the agreement and do not know exactly its content and time is needed for them to inform themselves.
Dumitru Diacov, of the Democratic group, said the accord was envisioned in the Moldova-NATO plan of action signed in 2006, when the Communists and many of the current Socialist MPs were in power.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Liliana Palihovich said the opening of the NATO Liaison Office is not only advantageous, but also strictly necessary given the developments in the region. In its history, NATO never annexed a foreign territory, unlike other world players.
