As their terms in office near an end, not all the ministers have presented a report of activity. IPN decided to offer the outgoing officials the chance to tell about their accomplishments and failures at the helm of their ministries.
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Minister of Defense Valeriu Troenco notes that his tenure was a short one, of only 9 months, but he came into office when the crisis in Ukraine and Crimea was in full swing. “The Ministry of Defense needed a professional able to lead it and deal with the possible challenges. Given my experience in the war on the Nistru and at the helm of various institutions, I decided to accept the invitation to head the Ministry of Defense”, said Troenco.

He says that during this short period he managed to convince the political class to change their attitude towards the National Army, the Ministry of Defense and the national defense strategies, which is all the more important when considering the difficult situation of Moldova at the time. “I'm happy that the Prime Minister and the Cabinet had positive reaction to our arguments. As a result, we received financial means, in very difficult conditions, to begin revamping the army. Afterwards, we visited every military unit from the command center to the restrooms and assessed the situation. We had talks with currently serving soldiers, with their parents and officers of all ranks”, said the outgoing official.

Better living and working conditions for the military

One of the Ministry's goals has been to improve the living and working conditions for the serving military. General repairs have begun in nearly all the military units, costing about 8 million lei, “We've manged to repair the barracks, the dining facilities, we've bought new equipment and furniture so that the soldiers lived in decent conditions while serving their term. We have also improved significantly the quality of the food and equipment for soldiers”, said Troenco.

Among his accomplishments, the official listed the restoration of the National Army's fighting capacity. About 60% of the Army's equipment was repaired and the soldiers tested their skills in national training centers and abroad. Most recently, a platoon of US Marines stationed in Constanta visited the training center of the “Moldova” Brigade in Balti, where they performed an anti-tank fight exercise together with the Moldovan military.

“These two aspects led to a significant drop of 40% in the number of crimes committed within the Army compared to 2013”, stressed Troenco.

Year of first times for the National Army

2014 was a year of first times for the National Army. “I think that the most important achievement was the participation for the first time of a Moldovan Minister of Defense – and I'm honored to be that Minister – in the NATO Summit in Wales and the fact that our country has been accepted to the Interoperability Platform and Defense and Related Security Capacity Building Initiative. These two programs will provide assistance in analyzing our current defense capacities and identifying the areas that should be improved, as well as helping us with military training and education”, said the Minister.

He also highlighted the participation of two Moldovan squads in the KFOR Mission, which shows that Moldova has transformed from a consumer into a provider of security, within the limits of its possibilities. According to him, NATO members and partners have understood Moldova's signals, appreciate them and promised that Moldova's participation in solving world security issues will guarantee support and help when needed.

“And while we're speaking about premieres, we shouldn't forget about the participation of the Moldovan Honor Guard in the parades in Paris on Champs-Elysees and in Bucharest in Piata Constitutiei. They represented our country with pride and dignity and carried the Moldovan flag in front of millions”, enthused the official.

Relationship between the Minister and the personnel

As regards the relationship between the Minister and the personnel, Troenco admits that there was a period of adaptation in the beginning, but he followed from the start the same principles that guided all his life: relations based on trust, honesty, kindness and patriotism and both the civilians and the military in the Army understood and appreciated this approach.

“I had and have the strong conviction that a man, in order to be promoted in function and rank, must prove to everyone that he deserves it. That's why meritocracy has been the foundation for all staff promotions. I hope I achieved good results in this regard, despite the short tenure. For me, it was important to work in an extraordinary team that understood and supported me. Now, at the end of my term, I'm sure that all these people who have participated in the implementation of many projects, some of which are finished and others still underway, will continue what we have started together”, said the Minister.

Valeriu Troenco says that he set realistic goals from the very beginning and is happy to have achieved them thanks to the contribution of each member of the National Army. “I hope that the military and civilians will understand that only together and with the efforts of each us we will manage to build the army that Moldova needs: a modern army, with high quality personnel, always ready to fulfill its missions in a professional manner. I'm happy to have worked with special people that put into practice the motto written above entrance to the Ministry – 'For Honor, for the Motherland, for the Tricolor'”, concluded the Minister.
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Note: As part of this series we have already published the report of Minister of Transports Vasile Botnari and Minister of Economy Andrian Candu.

Mariana Galben, IPN