As part of NATO's efforts to step up its longstanding cooperation with the Republic of Moldova, a NATO partner country, the Alliance held a NATO Day in the country's capital city on 24 October 2023.
NATO Days are held to raise awareness and understanding of NATO among public audiences in partner countries, including institutions, international partners, Allied embassies, civil society, academia, media and youth. During the event, lectures, round tables and conferences focused on the current strategic context and on boosting resilience in Moldova, particularly through greater energy security in light of growing international hybrid challenges. An information session on NATO's Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme concluded the conference, shifting the focus of conversations from policy towards practical scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange activities.
The SPS presentations to an audience of government officials, civil society and members of the Moldovan academic community outlined Moldova's record of cooperation in the framework of the SPS Programme, comprising more than 55 activities since 1995. Representatives of the Moldovan Academy of Sciences and of the SPS Programme outlined major achievements of these nearly three decades of cooperation, which include the establishment of a Cyber Incident Response Capability for the Moldovan Armed Forces, the deployment of a mobile laboratory for the detection of biological agents, and the adoption of Moldova's first National Action Plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Recently, NATO's scientific cooperation with Moldova has increasingly focused on resilience and the application of technology towards securing critical infrastructure. This was highlighted in a presentation by Dr Veaceslav Sprincean of Moldova State University, who is about to start an SPS project researching the use of unmanned systems and advanced detection systems for critical infrastructure protection, together with scientists from Italy, Latvia and Slovakia.
NATO's SPS Programme connects academics, experts and officials in Moldova with their counterparts in NATO member and partner countries, and supports their collaborative work on innovative scientific projects. SPS activities expand and create international scientific networks that address shared security challenges and exchange knowledge on security-related topics. To stay up-to-date with the latest opportunities offered by the SPS Programme, subscribe to the SPS newsletter.
