By Marc Johnson
Alumni Programs
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

CHISINAU, Republic of Moldova (Dec. 4, 2015) -- The Moldovan alumni association held their annual roundtable event Nov. 24 at the Center of Culture and Military History in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova.

The Secretary of the Supreme Security Council of Moldova, Alex Barbaneagra, gave the opening address, followed by a video address by retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.

 Marshall Center’s Alumni Relations Specialist Marc Johnson provided welcoming remarks to participants, speakers and guests.

The roundtable, chaired by retired Col. Andrei Covrig, president, Moldova Alumni Association, consisted of a panel of experts led off by Dr. Valbona Zeneli, Marshall Center professor; Andrew Curararu, member of the working group to develop Moldova’s new draft strategy; Gennady Altukhov, minister counsellor of the Embassy of Ukraine in Chisinau; Giorgi Gobechia, chief advisor, Office of The State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, and Vitalie Varzari, director of the Center for Strategic Studies and Security Academy of Sciences of Moldova.

About 50 people attended the afternoon event.

The roundtable was successful in examining several aspects of developing Moldova’s new Strategic Security Strategy, including the effort to ensure that multiple sectors (economic, agricultural, energy, cyber, etc.) were taken into consideration. The inclusion of civil society and a transparent drafting and ratification process was presented, as well as the topic of reconciling the Security Strategy’s language with regard to association with NATO, with language in Moldova’s constitution that limits it to ‘Non-aligned’ status.  

The Marshall Center thanks the Moldovan Alumni Association, supported by the Ministry of Defense and the Center of Military Culture and History, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova, The U.S. Embassy, and Giorgi Gobechia, who came to speak from distant Georgia.

This Roundtable was covered by local television and radio stations, who broadcasted their stories immediately following the event.