December 8 (SeeNews) - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on Friday opened a liaison office in Moldova's capital Chisinau.
The opening of the liaison office represented an important stage in Moldova’s relations with the North Atlantic Alliance, the Moldovan government and NATO said in a joint statement.
They noted that the liaison office would contribute to the further strengthening of the political dialogue and practical cooperation with NATO, without yet affecting the principle of Moldova’s constitutional neutrality.
Moldovan prime minister Pavel Filip said that the existence of this office in Moldova would ensure a resetting of the activities on the bilateral dimension, according to the goals established by common consent in the Action Plan of the Moldova-NATO Partnership for 2017-2019.
NATO deputy secretary general Rose Gottemoeller said: "NATO fully observes the neutrality, independence and sovereignty of Moldova. The North Atlantic Bloc works with more neutral states, including Sweden, Finland and Switzerland, as well as with countries which have close relations with Russia, such as Armenia. Neutrality does not mean that we cannot be strong partners."
The agreement to open a NATO mission in Chisinau was signed in late November 2016 and ratified by parliament before Moldova's pro-Russian president Igor Dodon took office.
Dodon held a separate meeting with Rose Gottemoeller after the opening of the office, in which they talked about the regional political situation and about the future of relations between NATO and Moldova, according to a press release issued by the president's office.
"Our main belief is that in its relations with NATO and the Organization for Collective Security Treaty (OTSC), the Republic of Moldova must rely exclusively on its neutrality status", Dodon said.
The NATO liaison office in Chisinau is a diplomatic mission which has no military implications, the statement reads.
In February, Dodon said that the opening of a NATO liaison office is a provocation launched by the governing coalition in Moldova and that it will not ensure the security of Moldovan citizens.
The tiny landlocked ex-Soviet state of Moldova, with population of some 3 million, has strong historical and political ties with its western neighbour Romania, with more than 75% of the population speaking Romanian. Around 10% of the population living predominantly in the internationally unrecognised separatist republic of Transnistria, which broke away from Moldova in the 1990s, speak Russian and identify themselves as Russians.
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