Opinion polls show the Republic of Moldova does not support the idea of joining a military bloc and the politicians should respect the people’s wish, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu said when he was asked about Moldova’s eventual entry into NATO in the context of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. He noted that strengthening the defense capabilities is now the government’s priority and sufficient additional funds have been earmarked for modernizing the National Army, IPN reports.
The war in Ukraine remains the most serious challenge to Moldova’s security. The risks are amplified by the illegal presence of the Russian army on the left side of the Nistru and the existence of a secessionist territory. “In the case of Ukraine, Russia wages a conventional war, while in our country – a hybrid war. I refer to the cyber-attacks, blackmailing with gas, propaganda and bans. All this elements in the official language are called hybrid war. This war involves the Russian intelligence services. They also have the fifth column here. Furthermore, we have a separatist territory where the army of the Russian Federation stays illegally. There is also an arms depot. In Chisinau, we have political forces that sympathize with or co-participate in these attempts to destabilize the political situation. That’s why we need to come with very clear actions,” Igor Grosu stated in a special edition on Radio Moldova.
The Speaker noted that Moldova’s status of neutrality enshrined in the Constitution cannot be changed as long as the population does not want the country to join a military bloc. In cooperation with the Western states, the government will continue to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities.
“Only the word neutrality written in the Constitution does not save us. We need a well-resourced army with modern equipment so that it could monitor and protect the airspace too. All the opposition’s discussions on the issue are an attempt to thwart the efforts to enable our military to defend us. All polls show the citizens are for neutrality and all the discussions on the entry into a military bloc when we have an army on our territory and also a secessionist region only amplify the conflict. We must continue to strengthen out neutrality and must cooperate with the neighbors, Romania and the EU, and co-participate in peacekeeping missions so as to learn from other states’ experience,” said Igor Grosu.
Under the 2023 state budget law, the Ministry of Defense’s budget will be 1.69 billion lei, which is 0.55% of the GDP. Of this sum, 500 million lei will go to purchase equipment and munitions.
