NATO says it is not involved in Transnistria settlement talks

NATO is not involved in negotiations to settle the Transnistrian conflict but is closely monitoring the security situation around Moldova, Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska said during the Moldova Security Forum, according to NewsMaker.

Šekerinska said the alliance continues to support Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity and respects the country's policy of military neutrality. She said decisions about Moldova's foreign and security policy belong to Moldova itself.

NewsMaker quoted Šekerinska as saying NATO has consistently criticised the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria without Moldova's consent. She said the war in Ukraine had made surrounding security challenges more serious, while stressing that NATO does not take part in the diplomatic process over Transnistria.

The NATO official was also asked about the ammunition depot at Cobasna. She did not provide a specific risk assessment but said security challenges require investment and cooperation with partner countries.

Realitatea.md reported that Šekerinska said Moldova receives the largest NATO assistance package among the alliance's partner countries under its defence-capacity programme. Projects worth €50 million are being prepared or implemented, including protective equipment as well as work on cyber security, research and crisis management.

NewsMaker reported that Moldovan security and military-intelligence officials had previously presented a technical assessment of the Cobasna ammunition depot and had concluded that the way material is stored reduces the risk of a chain reaction.

The comments came at a forum focused on Moldova's security environment and the effects of Russia's war against Ukraine on the wider region. Šekerinska said supporting partners also contributes to NATO's own security.

NewsMaker also reported that the security forum covered Moldova's wider defence needs, partner assistance and regional risks linked to Russia's war against Ukraine. Those discussions form the broader context for NATO's monitoring of Transnistria and support for Moldova.

NATO's position leaves the political settlement of Transnistria outside the alliance's formal role while keeping Moldova within a broader security-assistance framework. The supplied material does not report any new deployment, military operation or change to Moldova's neutrality policy.