Minister of Defense Anatol Salaru announced important reforms in the National Army, such as the exclusion of recruits’ services and modernization of the armed forces with the help of NATO. The minister spoke about the reforms in the talk show “Fabrika” on Publika TV channel, IPN reports.
“We will gradually give up employing recruits. We will have only servicemen working on a contract basis. Until then we must improve the image of the military by raising salaries and the social package,” said the minister.
Anatol Salaru also said that the modernization of the National Army is another top priority. “We have a unique chance to modernize the army. NATO will recommend the member states to contribute to the modernization of our army. But we need a new national defense strategy that is late already,” he stated.
The minister reiterated the position that the Russian troops should be withdrawn from Transnistria and replaced by a UN mandated peacekeeping operation. He expressed his confidence that the National Army can riposte to a possible attack on the part of Transnistria. “We have enough forces to stop an attack on the part of the illegal troops from Transnistria. But we must bring peacekeepers under the UN mandate to Transnistria and send the Russian peacekeepers home. If we hadn’t had the Russian army on the country’s territory, the entry into NATO wouldn’t have been a problem,” he said.
Anatol Salaru made it clear that he will reign if he is hampered in his plans. “When I’m asked to change my behavior so as to suit someone, I will choose to leave,” he stated.
