Global Peace Operations Initiative Experts at Ministry of Defense

CHISINAU, January 16, 2018 — General State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Radu Burduja, met today with a group of experts responsible for the implementation of the “Global Peace Operations Initiative” (GPOI).

The talks concerned the National Army reformation and modernization objectives with a focus on the current stage of the renovation process of the National Army Military Training Base from Bulboaca, funded by the U.S. Government within GPOI and the identification of peacekeeping training opportunities for Moldovan service members.

Radu Burduja mentioned that one of the priorities of the Ministry of Defense leadership is to increase the National Army’s participation in peacekeeping missions abroad, a goal also set in the defense strategic documents.

The General State Secretary specified that, in order to reach this objective, the training conditions for peacekeeping units must be improved and that the American partners are offering all the support needed. Thus, Radu Burduja appreciated the contribution of the U.S. Government in developing the service members’ peacekeeping training capabilities through GPOI.

Patrick Dolan, responsible for GPOI implementation, stated that the American partners will continue to support the National Army’s efforts of developing its peacekeeping capabilities in compliance with international standards.

The expert underlined that after finishing the renovation of Bulboaca training area, the GPOI project will continue through actual training of peacekeeping units, so that the National Army will be able to contribute to international peace and stability.

The GPOI group of experts is paying a visit to the Republic of Moldova to examine and assess the implementation process of the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) funded by the U.S. Government. The team will visit the National Army Military Training Base to observe the reconstruction and modernization process of the infrastructure.

In 2012, the Republic of Moldova was accepted as a partner within the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). Through this initiative, our country received a 1.6 million USD grant. The money is to be used for the development of the National Army training infrastructure, thus increasing the possibility of participating in international operations.