Romania and Moldova began bilateral talks on U.S. missile defense plans in Europe in the Moldavian capital on Thursday, Moldova's Foreign Minister said.
Romanian President Traian Basescu said last week his country could host U.S. medium-range interceptor missiles as part of revamped shield after U.S. President Barack Obama scrapped Bush administration plans for a radar and interceptor missiles in the Czech Republic and Poland last year.
"Every sovereign state has a right to decide for itself on the mechanisms of national security according to its national interests," Valery Turya said before the Kishinev talks.
Moldova has been keeping a cautious eye on the situation after the leader of the unrecognized republic of Transdnestr, Igor Smirnov, said on Monday his republic would deploy Russian Iskander missiles to counter U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Romania if Moscow asked.
The Russian-speaking province of Transdnestr has maintained de facto independence from Moldova since a brief war in 1992, which was the culmination of tensions following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Russia has had peacekeepers in the region since July 1992.
Turya dismissed Smirnov's announcement, saying it was "of no interest" to Moldova.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said last week his country was also ready to host elements of U.S. missile shield on its soil, something which Russia's military chief said Moscow would view "negatively."
Russia and the United States are currently in talks to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1), the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, which expired on December 5 last year. U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev have ordered a speedy completion of the deal.
Obama and Medvedev pledged at their first meeting in April 2009 to replace the START I treaty as part of broader efforts to "reset" bilateral ties strained in recent years.
KISHINEV, February 18 (RIA Novosti)
