A number of MPs on June 20 demanded that Minister of Defense Vitalie Marinuta be dismissed for declaring that the National Army is ready to cope with a new armed conflict on the Nistru, IPN reports.

The Liberal Party head Mihai Ghimpu requested President Nicolae Timofti, who attended the Parliament’s sitting, to take steps over these statements.

Communist MPs said that Marinuta is transforming from the minister of defense into a minister of ‘attack’, and Parliament is obliged to condemn such assertions. Grigore Petrenco demanded that Nicolae Timofti should immediately sign the decree on the dismissal of the minister.

Ion Ceban, of the group of Socialists, said the Socialists propose a censure motion to remove Marinuta and urged the MPs to support it.

Valeriu Saharneanu, of the group of Liberal reformers, defended the minister, saying Marinuta’s statements were probably taken out of context.

The proposals to dismiss Marinuta and condemn his statements didn’t garner the necessary number of votes.