On March 26-28 Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Jonas Vytautas Žukas conducted a formal visit in Moldova and met with Minister of Defence of Moldova Eugen Sturza, Chief of the General Staff of Moldova Brigadier General Igor Cutie, and representatives of the Moldovan Armed Forces. The meetings addressed security challenges, progress of the Moldovan military reform, and prospects of bilateral military cooperation.
At the meeting on March 27 Defence Minister E. Sturza thanked Lt Gen J. V. Žukas for the support from the Lithuanian Armed Forces to modernisation and reform of the Moldovan Armed Forces and expressed delight about the growth of both countries' partnership over the past year. Minister awarded Lt Gen J. V. Žukas Medal "For Strengthening Military Brotherhood" for his personal contribution to the efforts to strengthen cooperation between Lithuanian and Moldovan militaries.
Chief of the General Staff of Moldova stressed that Lithuania's support was not only theoretical but also practical when meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart. According to him, over 70 Moldovan officers and NCOs had improved themselves at specialised courses at the Military Academy of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Armed Forces School, and 10 officers graduated from qualification improvement courses at the Baltic Defence College in Estonia. Brig Gen I. Cutie also praised the benefit of joint participation of both countries in multinational operations in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, and other countries for the improvement of interaction and through sharing of lessons learned in such deployments.
During the visit Lt Gen J. V. Žukas underscored that the Moldovan Armed Forces was one of the closest partners to the Lithuanian Armed Forces. He also assured the Moldovan colleagues that the successful bilateral military cooperation will be continued both in military training and capability development.
On March 27 Lithuanian Chief of Defence's delegation visited the Alexandru cel Bun Military Academy to familiarise with its activities and capabilities. On March 28 Lt Gen J.V.Žukas visited the NATO Liaison Office opened in December in Kishinev and discussed the activities of the Office, cooperation of NATO and Moldova, and the progress in defence reform with Head of the Office Kristina Baleišytė.
Lt Gen J. V. Žukas concluded the visit by familiarising with the structure, capabilities and objectives, and viewing weaponry and equipment at the 2nd "Stefan cel Mare" Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Moldovan Army.
The Lithuanian delegation was escorted during the visit by Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania in the Republic of Moldova HE Rimantas Latakas and Lithuania's Defence Attaché in Moldova Col Algirdas Norkus. It was a return visit after the visit by Moldovan Chief of Defence Brig Gen Igor Cutie in June in Lithuania.
Lithuania and Moldova have been developing defence cooperation since 2000. Lithuania supports the Moldovan Armed Forces in the areas of military education and training, funds studies of Moldovan soldiers at the Baltic Defence College, provides advice on military medicine, military conscription, capability planning, reserve training, public relations, NCO training, and career system.
Photos: courtesy of the Moldovan Armed FORces, NATO Liaison Office in Moldova
Spokesperson for the Chief of Defence of Lithuania Major Mindaugas Neimontas
+370 5 278 5091, +370 682 25359, mindaugas.neimontas@mil.lt
