Moldova in NATO's spotlight. Opinions after Washington Summit
19:33 | 14.07.2024 Category: Political
Chisinau, July 14 /MOLDPRES/- NATO summit held in Washington (USA) on July 9-11 says that the Black Sea region is of strategic importance for the Alliance and NATO will continue to monitor developments in this area, focusing on security threats.
The Republic of Moldova was under the spotlight of the leaders of the 32 NATO member states. In the final declaration, the Allies called on Russia "to withdraw all forces from the Republic of Moldova and Georgia stationed there without their consent". Support for the Republic of Moldova is mentioned in a paragraph on the importance of NATO partnerships in ensuring "a 360-degree security approach".
Mihai Isac, views on Washington summit
NATO states welcomed Moldova's efforts to continue democratic reforms and the European integration process. At the same time, NATO warns the Russian Federation that it will not accept worsening of the situation in Moldova, Romanian political analyst Mihai Isac told MOLDPRES, asked to comment on NATO Summit Declaration, the event that marked the week.
Final declaration of NATO summit demonstrates the support Moldova enjoys from its allies
The expert says that the final declaration of the NATO summit demonstrates the support Moldova enjoys from NATO's allies. "We must understand that the vast majority of NATO states are also EU member states, they are strategic partners of the Republic of Moldova in many respects. Taking into account Moldova's desire to join the EU, it is normal that these states, through the organizations of which they are members, including NATO, support any step to help Moldova regain control over its entire territory," said Mihai Isac.
Mihai Isac notes that the Russian Federation could ignore NATO's recommendations on the withdrawal of troops and ammunition from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, but it is important that the major security problems facing our country in the context of the war in Ukraine are in the Alliance's sights. This is implicitly due to Romania, which is the Republic of Moldova's most important advocate in relations with the European Union or NATO.
"NATO is a reliable partner for the Republic of Moldova and we see how gradually, with the support of this partnership, the Republic of Moldova has gradually become a security provider state. And here we are talking about the involvement of the National Army in the missions in Kosovo for over ten years, in the mission in Lebanon and in the mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fact that the Republic of Moldova is invited to take part in these peacekeeping operations in conflict zones in different parts of the world demonstrates the trust that the authorities in Chisinau enjoy and the fact that NATO considers the Republic of Moldova an equal partner when we talk about cooperation or the implementation of mechanisms aimed at stabilizing different regions," the expert said.
"Moldovan society will have to address the issue of neutrality"
At the same time, Mihai Isac believes that the Moldovan society will have to address the issue of neutrality, given that Russia has taken full advantage of Article 11 of the Constitution, defying the territorial integrity of the country. "We must take into account that Russian propaganda is using NATO as a kind of scarecrow in Moldova, even though, in addition to this military component, which is important for ensuring the security of member states, it also has many civilian actions. Unfortunately, Russian propaganda completely ignores NATO merits in supporting the Republic of Moldova and uses this propaganda, this flood of fake news of conspiracies to scare the Moldovan public."
"When we refer to the Republic of Moldova, we have to take into account developments in Ukraine"
In the Final Declaration, NATO states made clear that the Alliance is committed to supporting security and defense capabilities and developing the capability to counter hybrid threats. "When we refer to the Republic of Moldova, we must constantly take into account the developments in Ukraine, as everything happening in Ukraine also affects Moldova and it is only thanks to the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian army that Russian tanks are not in Chisinau at the moment," the expert said.
By setting up the new structure that will coordinate assistance to Ukraine, NATO reconfirms its support for the country invaded by the Russian Federation. The Alliance and NATO member states will contribute tens of billions of dollars to help Ukraine defend itself.
The leaders of NATO's 32 member states approved in the final declaration Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's plans to set up a NATO security assistance and training mission for Ukraine, with a headquarters in Germany and logistics centers in the east of the Alliance, including Romania, as well as a financial commitment of 40 billion euros for the coming year and the creation of the position of NATO High Representative for Ukraine.