Moldova's President Rules Out NATO Bases in His Country During Own Presidency

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moldova's President Igor Dodon told Zvezda broadcaster that there would be no NATO bases in his country as long as he remains the leader of Moldova.

Last year, media reported that the US Navy was planning to build military facilities at the Bulboaca base. The Moldovan Defense Ministry explained that the project was not linked to NATO.

"I have been to all of our military bases in Moldova, there are no threats, no attempts to build someone else's bases in Moldova at the moment, and there will be none. At least, as long as I am the president of Moldova, this will not happen," Dodon said in an interview released on Sunday.

The Moldovan president added that NATO bases could not be set up without the agreement of the head of the country.

"Even if somebody tries to circumvent this somehow… through the Constitutional Court, there will be unrest among the people in Moldova, and this will not end well for those who started it," the president said.

NATO Liaison Office opened in Chisinau in December last year, but the alliance has stressed its respect for Moldova's neutrality.