Minister of Defense Anatolie Nosatyi and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu signed in Chisinau a document of intent to strengthen the dialogue between the two institutions. The two ministers discussed the bilateral cooperation, priority objectives in the protection of the state, the military reform and regional security situation, IPN reports, with reference to the Ministry of Defense.
Anatolie Nosatyi said the visit by the French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu is a powerful message showing that France has remained a supporter of the initiatives and projects to modernize the defense sector and of the democratic reforms done in Moldova and also a promoter of the European course.
The two officials discussed the ways in which France can support Moldova in the process of transforming the National Army so as to ultimately have a modern, well-quipped army resilient to the current security challenges.
Anatolie Nosatyi underlined the good cooperation with the French company “Thales” in the process of signing the contracts needed to purchase the air surveillance system with funds from the national defense budget. “It is an important step in our efforts to ensure the security of the airspace and in the context of the developing Moldovan-French partnership,” stated the Moldovan official.
Sébastien Lecornu said the cooperation between the two defense institutions will develop and will focus on a number of pillars. “For several months, our teams have cooperated to define stronger, more concrete military cooperation fundmantally orientated to the protection of your sovereignty and the stability of the Republic of Moldova,” stated the French official.
“France and the Republic of Moldova, which is a small country that also lives in fear due to the Russian aggression, started to negotiate a defense agreement,” AFP reported on Monday, with reference to the office of the French minister who visited Chisinau. “France will continue standing by the Moldovans in the face of any destabilization attempt,” said the office.