CHISINAU (Sputnik) — According to the Moldovan Defense Ministry, Ohladciuc and US Ambassador to Moldova James Pettit visited the Bulboaca training base earlier on Thursday, where upgrades are currently being carried out in the framework of US-funded security Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). The GPOI is aimed at enhancing international capacity to carry out UN and regional peace support operations.
"We joined this program because we wanted to improve training conditions for the national army's servicemen who participate in international peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the United Nations, and the United States provided us with such an opportunity. We also count on our US partners' support in the future," Ohladciuc said as quoted by the Moldovan Defense Ministry's press service.
According to the Defense Ministry, Moldova joined GPOI as a partner country in 2012. Under the program, the ministry benefits from a grant of $1.6 million to modernize infrastructure at Bulboaca base, thus allowing the training of Moldova's national army troops for participation in UN peacekeeping missions. The ministry stressed, however, that the construction of new military facilities would not influence Moldova's neutrality and were not connected to NATO.
