Moldovan ambassador presents credentials to NATO Secretary General

Chisinau, 6 September /MOLDPRES/- Ambassador Lilian Darii had a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and presented his credentials as Head of Moldovan Mission to NATO, the MAEIE’s press service has reported.

The officials exchanged views on the current stage of cooperation between Moldova and the North Atlantic Alliance, focusing on the implementation of the goals set in the Individual Action Plan of Partnership (IPAP) between Moldova and NATO. Also, they discussed issues on the implementation of the provisions of the Defense Capabilities Initiative.

In the context, the head of the Moldovan Mission to NATO thanked the Alliance for the constant support in reforming the national security and defense sector and reconfirmed the Chisinau authorities’ interest to continue to benefit from the experience and expertise of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Referring to the aspects of national and regional security, Ambassador Lilian Darii pointed out Moldova’s stance on the need to regulate the Transnistrian issue in the 5 + 2 negotiations format, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. Also, the Moldovan official reiterated the need to withdraw the Russian military forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova and to transform the current peacekeeping operation from the Transnistrian region into a civilian mission with an international mandate.

For his part, Jens Stoltenberg reconfirmed the firm position of the North Atlantic Alliance to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova. He said that the level of cooperation and the concrete fields of interaction with NATO are exclusively established by Moldova in accordance with the constitutional provisions and according to its national interests. The official also expressed gratitude for the important contribution of Moldova to strengthening European security by the deployment of the Moldovan military contingent in the KFOR peacekeeping operation in Kosovo.