The status of neutrality does not offer security guarantees to the Republic of Moldova, while NATO is a stabilizing factor, said the representative of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” Kiril Moțpan. According to him, the entry into NATO would offer Moldova a security umbrella. For his part, the representative of the Civic Congress Iurie Muntean said the keeping of Moldova’s status of neutrality should be the government’s priority as many of the citizens do not want the country to join a military alliance, IPN reports.

Kiril Moțpan noted that NATO is a military alliance that ensures the security of the entire Europe and it would represent a stabling factor for Moldova. The status of neutrality does not ensure the country’s security, primarily when there is a military presence on the left side of the Nistru.

“The Republic of Moldova suffers because of the current geopolitical context. It’s clear that the status of neutrality cannot defend us from an eventual military attack and the rockets that violated our airspace showed this. Rocket fragments fell down, causing panic among the people. NATO would be a stabilizing element and it proved this in the European space. We have a foreign army, of an aggressor state, on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. In 1994, the ‘neutrality’ term was introduced in the Constitution. But it hasn’t helped us to get rid of the foreign smarmy that is present in our territory,” Kiril Moțpan stated in the program “At 360 Degrees” on Radio Moldova.

The representative of the Civic Congress Iurie Muntean noted that sovereignty in Moldova belongs to the people and sociological surveys show the citizens want the status of neutrality to be kept. However, this status does not exclude investments in strengthening the defense capabilities.

“All genuine polls show that the number of citizens who are for the status of neutrality rose from 40% before the war in Ukraine to 55% at present. The government or political elites, when they raise this issue, should not forget about the provisions of the Constitution and the people’s position. We must keep this status as it is a source of socioeconomic development. But this does not mean that we must not modernize the army as the army is used not only in times of war. This does not mean that we must not invest in the army and improve it. But we should not renounce the status of neutrality. Switzerland and Austria do not intend to change their status. On the contrary, they intend to strengthen it,” opined Iurie Muntean.

In accordance with the Constitution, the Republic of Moldova is a neutral state. The supreme law can be amended by the votes of at least 2/3 of the MPs. Recently, in an interview for “Politico”, President Maia Sandu said that discussions are now held on whether Moldova should keep its status or neutrality to defend itself or should join a military alliance.