Former Secretary of State of the Ministry of Defense and former representative of the Republic of Moldova to NATO, Radu Burduja, states that the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have boosted the relationship between the Republic of Moldova and NATO.
According to the former official, who is currently the director of the Euro-Atlantic Institute for Resilience Consolidation, the most significant aspect of the relationship between the Republic of Moldova and NATO has been marked by the development of planning and defense elements.
“We did this very well. We approved the National Defense Strategy and the military strategy. Recently, the National Security Strategy was also approved. In parallel with these, five joint projects with NATO were developed, which have now reached 16,” Radu Burduja stated during the Impact Global program on TVR MOLDOVA.
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Additionally, the official contends that another acceleration point in the Republic of Moldova’s cooperation with NATO was the Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022.
“This was the moment when the Republic of Moldova decided to accelerate and cooperate more effectively and intensively with NATO. From what I know, we see more and more bilateral exercises. We see an intensification of political dialogue, which was approved by the alliance and was declared at the Vilnius Summit. Both NATO and the Republic of Moldova are committed to enhancing this cooperation, which is beneficial for both parties,” says Radu Burduja.