MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2023) NATO has been sending the alliance's "elite" advisers to Moldova since the beginning of the year to strengthen the country's resilience in various areas, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Monday, adding that Moldova, along with Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, is of great importance to the military bloc.
"We have been sending to Chisinau since the beginning of this year our elite unit, which is the resilience assistance team, and we are now producing recommendations for the Republic of Moldova to strengthen their resilience across the board," Geoana said during the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
He added that Moldova, along with Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a top priority for NATO, and that the alliance respects the country's constitutional neutrality.
In January, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in an interview with Politico that the country should abandon its neutrality in order to join a military alliance. Sandu did not specifically mention NATO, but has repeatedly said that the constitution's neutrality clause could be revised if Moldovans decide they want to move closer to a military bloc. The Moldovan Defense Ministry has said it wants to strengthen the country's defense capabilities and acquire the necessary weapons, and has stated the need to create an air defense network.
According to the Moldovan constitution, the republic has neutral status, but since 1994 the country has been cooperating with NATO under an individual partnership plan. A NATO Information Center operates in Chisinau and a Liaison Office was opened in the city in December 2017.
