Eugen Sturza

Romanian-Moldovan bilateral military cooperation, regional security strengthening as well as the cooperation relations between the Republic of Moldova with the North-Atlantic Alliance and the European Union were among the topics tackled during the meeting in Chisinau, between National Defence Minister Mihai Fifor and his counterpart of the Republic of Moldova, Eugen Sturza.

A NATO expert group responsible for implementing the Western military alliance's defence and security capacity-building initiative is visiting Moldova to provide expertise to develop and implement the country's national security strategy and military action plan.

A NATO office will open shortly in the former Soviet republic of Moldova, it was announced, after Moldova's pro-Western Prime Minister Pavel Filip met NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.

Both sides said was agreed that Moldova will remain militarily neutral, according to its constitution, but Filip underlined that it wants to strengthen its relationship with NATO.

Moldova's new Minister of Defence, Eugen Sturza, says he intends to develop and modernise Moldova's military, in a move that risks worsening tension between Chisinau and Moscow.

Moldova's government appointed a new defence minister on Tuesday after a lengthy row over the post between the pro-European, Democratic Party-led cabinet and pro-Russian President Igor Dodon.

Eugen Sturza, 32, was sworn in at a ceremony at the presidential palace led by parliament speaker Andrian Candu, acting as interim president while Dodon was briefly suspended.

Moldova's Constitutional Court said in its decision on Tuesday  there are "circumstances justifying the initiation by the Parliament of the procedure of suspension of the president", opening the door for the suspension of Dodon.

The Constitutional Court deemed that his failure to approve the appointment of a new defence minister meant he had fallen short of his constitutional duties.