Moldova at NATO summit with Bush, Condi

Moldova's strongman Vladimir Voronin has been a frequent visitor to NATO summits, both past and present. (Courtesy: NATO photos)

BUCHAREST (Tiraspol Times) - Although Moldova is constitutionally obligated to be neutral, Moldova’s strongman president Vladimir Voronin will participate in the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that is held in Bucharest, Romania, between April 2 and 4, local news organization Reporter MD announced.

Vladimir Voronin, himself a former general, will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan and Minister of Defense Vitalie Vrabie. The Moldovans will meet with their NATO counterparts to discuss future cooperation. The summit follows a series of other recent meetings between Voronin and NATO leaders.

Today's Bucharest-based summit will also be attended by U.S. President George W. Bush and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. Bush will be accompanied by the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. The trio has actively been campaigning for the inclusion of Ukraine and the Republic of Georgia in NATO. Both countries share extensive borders with Russia.

Moldova has not been offered NATO membership, although the country has long been a member of the so-called "Partnership for Peace" which some see as a prelude to eventual membership in the military alliance.

Permanent NATO center in Moldova

Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has evolved from being formerly a defensive alliance to today being a coalition of countries which share an ideological commitment to preemptive warfare and intervention in other countries, often under the guise of "humanitarian intervention" which have in some cases gone forward despite vehement objections by the United Nations (UN).

In 2007, Moldova allowed NATO to open a permanent NATO center in its capital, Chisinau. Moldova also changed its visa regime to allow visa-free entry for all foreign soldiers except soldiers from Russia, which are still required to apply for visas.

Moldova's existing military bases have already undergone extensive changes to enable them to meet NATO specifications and standards. These changes have been paid for with American funds.

NATO exercises and troops in Iraq

The troubled government is led by strongman Vladimir Voronin, a former Soviet general whose regime has recently been tainted by corruption scandals. Moldova is officially Europe's poorest country.

In an interview in March, Voronin floated the idea of letting his country become "neutral", in particular by signing a public letter abstaining from NATO membership although such a membership has never been offered to Moldova. No results came from the suggestion, which a number of local commentators subsequently ridiculed as an empty gesture and part of an early re-election campaign ahead of the country's 2009 presidential election.

The Republic of Moldova continues to hold military exercises twice a year with the active participation of troops from the United States and other NATO countries. Moldova is currently also one of the few remaining countries which still maintains troops in Iraq, as part of the U.S.-led war.

See also:
» Moldova "bogus neutrality" draws fire from Transnistria
» Put Transdniestria under NATO occupation, Moldovans propose
» As Moldova aligns with NATO, Transdniester fears new attacks

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» How many American kids will die for Transdniestria?