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Romania's Defence Minister Vasile Dincu and his Moldovan counterpart Anatolie Nosatii signed in Chisinau a protocol on co-operation in the field of military education on the sidelines of a joint meeting of the national governments of Romania and Moldova hosted by Chisinau.
According to the Romanian Defence Ministry (MApN), the document details practical ways of carrying out a student exchange programme involving pupils, students and trainees of military schools in the two countries.
The protocol, concluded for a period of 10 years, also provides for a framework for collaboration in the area of harmonisation of educational processes, applied research and cultural activities and upgrading education infrastructure.
Dincu and Nosatii had a private meeting during the joint governmental session to review the main aspects of defence co-operation since 2000 and the prospects for its intensification under the aegis of the strategic partnership between the two countries signed in 2010.
"It is important for the civil society to be aware of the firm commitment and substantial support of our country to the well-being of the Republic of Moldova. On your journey to European integration, you can count on Romania's full support," said Dincu.
In order to strengthen regional security and develop military co-operation, the two defence ministers sent a signal to encourage the accession of Moldova to the South-East Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM) Process, which would allow participation in projects developed under this initiative.
At the same time, Dincu also underscored the importance of strengthening crisis resilience, mentioning to the point the mutual support that Romania and Moldova have provided one another during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his turn, Nosatii expressed his gratitude for the support provided by Romania in key areas of co-operation: ensuring the participation of the troops of the two national armies in joint exercises in both Romania and Moldova and ensuring a significant number of places in Romanian military education establishments for the personnel of the National Army of Moldova.
He also mentioned the valuable expertise and assistance provided by Romania amidst the implementation of objectives of important co-operation initiatives - the Moldova-EU Action Plan and the Moldova-NATO Partnership Individual Action Plan, in particular the Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB).
"Romania was and is an important strategic partner to Moldova. Over time, we have managed to build sincere, unconditional and confirmed friendships under a large number of joint projects, programmes and activities designed to develop the defence sector of Moldova. We continue to rely on the experience of Romanian partners in reforming the defence sector according to democratic standards, which is an important goal for the current government, besides strengthening the capacities of the national army to participate in international peacekeeping operations," said Nosatii, Agerpres informs.
