NATO and the Republic of Moldova are actively cooperating in the field of democratic, institutional and defence reforms, and have laid the foundation for practical cooperation in many other areas. The Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) sets out Moldova’s cooperation program with NATO.
The Republic of Moldova is trying to get closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions and standards. The degree of NATO-Moldovan cooperation ultimately depends on the country’s willingness to continue the process of implementing democratic reforms and consolidating existing democratic institutions.

 Frameworks for cooperation

Areas of cooperation, reform plans and political dialogue processes are set out in detail in the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) of the Republic of Moldova, which is agreed with NATO for a period of two years.

Key areas of cooperation

I. Defence and Security Sector: At the request of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, NATO is supporting defence reform efforts through a number of initiatives.
a) Defence Capacity Building Initiative (DCBI) – It was presented to the Republic of Moldova at the 2014 Wales Summit. The DCBI is part of the Alliance’s efforts to design international security and stability and to prevent conflict.

b) Building Integrity Initiative – The aim of the program is to increase the efficiency of security and defence institutions and to assist them in improving the process of managing financial and human resources, strengthening integrity, transparency and reducing the risk of corruption in the sector.

c) Interoperability – NATO provides the Republic of Moldova with numerous programs aimed at developing interoperability with NATO allied forces and strengthening the capabilities needed to participate in NATO-led peacekeeping operations. Learning to use a common language and developing interoperability in standard procedures are essential. Multinational exercises, visits by expert teams and refresher courses are available to help develop the ability of its forces to cooperate with NATO forces. By participating in multinational exercises, the Republic of Moldova is developing its ability of peacekeeping forces to cooperate with the forces of other countries, especially in crisis management and peacekeeping operations.

d) Partnership for Peace Planning and Review Process (PARP) – Consists in establishing transparency, official and truthful information, as well as providing mutual assistance between the Alliance and partners in all aspects of security and defence, by achieving the objectives of general interoperability. The Republic of Moldova joined the PARP in 1997. The exact objectives of the PARP process are: the development by partner countries of interoperable forces for participation in NATO, EU and UN operations, and Moldova in this regard is an example by making a substantial contribution to the KFOR operation in Kosovo and other missions. The second aspect concerns the reform of the Armed Forces and other institutions in the field of security and defence.

e) The Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) – The process of modernising the Military Academy of the Armed Forces began in 2009, with the inclusion of the objective “Development of the Military Academy” in the IPAP plan and the launch of the DEEP program. The Republic of Moldova has been advised on the consolidation, development and reform of security education institutions through the NATO Defence Education Enhancement Programme. DEEP is a program that supports the development of vocational military education in the Republic of Moldova, in full compliance with international standards and processes. NATO assisted the Military Academy of the Armed Forces “Alexandru cel Bun”in strengthening a strong system of military vocational education, with the award of bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as professional courses for civilians.

II. Supporting Civil Authorities:
a) Pesticide Destruction Trust Fund – Project title: “NATO / PpP on the destruction of pesticides and hazardous chemicals in the Republic of Moldova” . In 2007, a NATO / PfP Trust Fund with a three-step mechanism was set up to channel funding and support for a project to store and destroy these chemicals. In Stage I, this fund focused on storing and securing pesticides and chemicals at regional storage centres. During Stage II, an analytical laboratory was set up to provide a comprehensive database of pesticides and chemicals. Stage III disposed of 1,269 tons of pesticides and hazardous chemicals from 15 Regional Central Warehouses. The total cost of the project is estimated at 2.2 million euros.

b) Civilian training – Civilian training is an important area of NATO-Moldova cooperation because it prepares the authorities to deal with natural or man-made disasters that benefit the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. With the help of the Allies, the Republic of Moldova has worked to strengthen the legal framework to deal with such emergencies and to establish a civilian crisis information system by coordinating emergency activities. An example of such a project is “Modeling and mitigating social disasters caused by catastrophes and terrorism ”.

c) Destruction of anti-personnel mines and surplus ammunition – Constitutes the liquidation of obsolete and potentially dangerous ammunition stocks, of oxidising liquid fuel and of antipersonnel mines equipped with the National Army. The North Atlantic Alliance provided technical support and training to engineers and the military for the safe destruction of more than 12,000 anti-personnel mines, helping to fulfil the commitments made by the Moldovan government by signing the Ottawa Convention. The experience of Moldovan engineers and military personnel in this field was also noted during their participation in the Iraq mission, when they detonated about 400,000 explosives. And in 2015, in various localities in the Republic of Moldova, Moldovan engineers neutralised over 600 explosive objects. The implementation of this project also involved the destruction of 362 tons of oxidising liquid fuel that presents the risk of an ecological catastrophe in case of a potential leak. At the same time, special places were created for the proper storage of these materials.

III. Science for Peace and Security: Through the NATO Science for Peace and Security Program (SPS), the Alliance engages Moldovan scientists and experts in practical cooperation focused on civil science, technology and innovation, strengthening research networks and exchanging expertise for the common goal of strengthening European security.

a) Cyber defence– To address the challenges posed by security incidents, a new Cyber Defence Research and Education Laboratory has been opened at the Technical University of the Republic of Moldova. The laboratory serves the cyber security training needs of all defence and security institutions. Another multi-annual SPS project develops cyber defence capabilities in the armed forces of the Republic of Moldova. Through it, they will increase human, technical and procedural cyber capabilities to deal with cyber and emerging threats that may affect the functionality, security of services and critical infrastructure.

b) Telemedicine – The SPS program has helped develop a multinational telemedicine system that allows medical professionals to provide real-time referrals to people in emergencies or conflict areas. Experts from the Republic of Moldova collaborated on this project with colleagues from Romania, the United States, Finland and Ukraine.

c) Women, Peace and Security – The Republic of Moldova is working with NATO to promote the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSC), which recognizes the disproportionate impact that wars and conflicts have on women and children. In this regard, through the SPS Program, in the period 2016-2018, a project was implemented that supported the Government of the Republic of Moldova and civil society actors in creating a national strategy for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

d) CBRN defence – Developing the capacity to mitigate the biological risks associated with Anthrax in the Republic of Moldova – The potential use of biological agents by terrorists is a significant risk for the local population of Moldova. This project develops the capacity of the Moldovan Ministry of Health to better combat the threats posed by infectious biological agents, including Anthrax, by setting up a mobile laboratory and training experts to increase surveillance capacity, early detection and rapid response.

The stages of Moldova’s collaboration with NATO :