Moldovan-Swedish Dialogue at Ministry of Defense

CHISINAU, February 14, 2018 — The aspects of military cooperation on bilateral level and within international organizations were discussed today by Minister of Defense Eugen Sturza and Ambassador of Sweden in Chisinau, Signe Burgstaller, during a meeting held at the Ministry of Defense.

Eugen Sturza thanked the Swedish Government for the support offered during the last years in achieving the objectives set by our country in the framework of implementing the Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace and Security”. The Minister of Defense specified that the National Action Plan draft for the Resolution’s implementation and the manual “Gender dimension in the defense and security sector” that were developed with the help of Sweden represent an important step for our country in ensuring gender equality in the defense and security sector.

Minister Sturza also appreciated the involvement of Sweden within the Multinational Group on small arms and light weapons (SALW) that aims to increase safety and security level of ammunition stocking. Eugen Sturza mentioned the contribution of the Swedish Government in developing the manual “Logistic Ammunition Handbook” published in 2015 and in training National Army service members within specialized courses on weapons and ammunition stockpile management.

Minister Sturza specified that the Republic of Moldova wishes to increase its contribution to international and regional security and that the experience of Sweden would be very helpful for our country. The Minister of Defense expressed his hope that the two countries will strengthen the cooperation in this sector, as well as in the military education and science field.

The Ambassador of Sweden welcomed the progress of the Republic of Moldova in implementing Resolution 1325 and stated that her country will continue to offer the National Army the assistance it needs.