CHISINAU. Jan 20 (Interfax) - A NATO liaison office in Chisinau will begin operating in March, Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip said.
"We have drawn up a new draft national defense strategy and have put it out for public debate. The NATO liaison office in Chisinau will start to function in March. In such a way, the necessary dialogue and useful cooperation will begin to modernize our national army," Filip said on Friday at a press conference dedicated to the anniversary of his government's work.
It was reported that an agreement to open a NATO liaison office in Chisinau was signed by Filip and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels at the end of November 2016. The document was ratified by the Moldovan parliament in December and took effect before the inauguration of new Moldovan President Igor Dodon.
Dodon said he intended to block the operations of the NATO office and "seek strict observance of Moldova's neutrality, which is one of the fundamental principles of the constitution."
At the end of last year, Dodon dismissed Defense Minister Anatol Salaru, who supports integration with NATO and Moldova's unification with Romania.