OREANDA-NEWS. July 25, 2011. Prime Minister Vlad Filat and US Ambassador to Moldova Asif J. Chaudhry signed the documents in Chisinau.

In his press statement, Filat said that these agreements play a major role in the reinforcement of the national capacities for prevention, detection and combating the illicit nuclear trafficking attempts.

Filat said that the first document, a joint action plan for combating the illicit nuclear trafficking between the US and the Moldovan governments, which is the result of comprehensive preparatory works carried out during one year by the US Department of State via the Chisinau-based US embassy, comprises all the necessary aspects in this respect.

"The plan also envisages a commitment taken by the American side to contribute with resources to the fortification of the Moldovan national response system. I would like to thank our colleagues for this," the premier said.

Filat also said that the second agreement addresses a narrower collaboration framework between the Moldovan Customs Service and the US Energy Department, on the cooperation for the prevention of the illicit nuclear trafficking. In particular, the Memorandum of Understanding sees that the US Energy Department can provide, free of charge, stationary and mobile radiation detection devices, as well as training in the afferent fields to the Moldovan Customs Service.

"These actions will make it possible to beef up the security at the state border and at the UE's external border, by providing the customs institutions with updated equipment for radiation detection, as well as to ensure the security of the international goods' delivery network, in consistency with the framework standards of the International Customs Organization," Filat said.
The prime minister expressed gratitude to US Ambassador to Moldova Asif J. Chaudhry and to the entire American people for the support given to Moldova.

For his part, Asif J. Chaudhry said that by signing these agreements, the USA and Moldova are uniting their efforts to combat an extremely dangerous phenomenon for the security and peace in the world - the illicit nuclear trafficking.

"Moldova becomes a part of an international system fighting the smuggling of nuclear materials," the US official said.

Asif J. Chaudhry said that the joint action plan for combating the illicit nuclear trafficking between the US and the Moldovan governments consists of 45 steps, whose implementation will significantly contribute to the consolidation of Moldova's capacities in this field. Asif J. Chaudhry also said that the sides will periodically assess the quality of its implementation, since the aforementioned document is of paramount importance.

The US ambassador to Moldova expressed confidence that the cooperation between Moldova and the USA will further develop and thanked Prime Minister Vlad Filat for his contribution in this respect.