CHISINAU. Feb 6 (Interfax) - The international recognition of Moldova's neutral status is highly relevant, Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Aureliu Ciocoi said.
"This is a highly relevant matter, but we haven't yet discussed it with our foreign partners," Ciocoi said at a press conference in Chisinau on Thursday, when asked to comment on the international recognition of Moldova's neutrality, of which President Igor Dodon spoke earlier at the United Nations and the Council of Europe.
"I'll tell you honestly: we haven't discussed this yet. We haven't discussed it because an internal consensus should be reached before starting a substantive discussion on the matter. There is no such consensus yet," Ciocoi said.
Speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg last week, Dodon said, "The international recognition of Moldova's neutral status should become an important factor in the Transdniestria settlement process."
"The implementation of a strategy for promoting the international recognition of the Republic of Moldova's permanent neutrality status is a key factor positively affecting the Transdniestrian settlement process, which would certainly help strengthen security in this region of Europe," Dodon said.
In this context, Dodon welcomed Moscow's initiative on the withdrawal and disposal of Russian ammunition stockpiled in Moldova's territory.
"We welcome the Russian Federation's initiative voiced in August 2019 on its intention to resume the process of removing and disposing of ammunition from the Republic of Moldova's territory," he said.