The Republic of Moldova for 2023 doubled the budget of the National Army so as to transmit a signal to the foreign partners that the defense sector is an important one for the Moldovan government, said PAS MP Dan Perciun. According to him, the modernization of the National Army cannot take place with own resources and the Western partners’ contribution is needed, IPN reports.
For 2023, the Ministry of Defense’s budget is about 1.7 billion lei, up 650 million lei on last year. This way, the budget for the defense sector this year represents 0.5% of the GDP. MPs of the ruling party noted the state budget funds are insufficient for modernizing the National Army.
“In the 2023 budget, the allocations for the National Army were doubled on last year. We have a powerful political commitment to invest in the national army this year, but with own resources only it is hard to speak about the modernization of the National Army. It was important to raise the allocations from the state budget so as to give a signal to the foreign partners too as, if they provide nonlethal support, it is crucial for the government to show that we realized the importance. We discussed the donation of drones and other equipment with representatives of Germany. The armored vehicles provided now will be used in training so that our soldiers know how to use such equipment,” Dan Perciun stated in the program “Secrets of the Power” on Jurnal TV channel.
Experts say that even if the Republic of Moldova is a neural state, investments in defense are extremely important. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine made the authorities realize the necessity of making investments.
“A neutral state, by definition, means a state that can defend itself alone. Switzerland, which is surrounded by peaceful partner countries, has one of the most modern armies in the world. It is a neutral country, but is much more militarized than many NATO counties. Neutrality does not mean not having an army. Being neutral is the sovereign decision of our people, but this means we must be able to defend ourselves, to have an army that is able to respond to potential threats. Together with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we are obliged to take into consideration the possibility of the Russian army coming close to the border of the Republic of Moldova,” said the expert of WatchDog Valeriu Pașa.
The National Army received a consignment of Piranha armored vehicles from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. The first armored personnel carriers were delivered to Moldova on Tuesday. The vehicles will be used to train soldiers who are to be detached to take part in international peacekeeping missions.
