In the Republic of Moldova, we should have more discussions about the advantages of collective security, said Prime Minister Dorin Recean, according to whom the subject of Moldova’s entry into NATO is not sufficiently discussed in the public space and the benefits offered by the affiliation to a defensive military bloc are therefore not known. The Premier noted that to bring up the National Army to the NATO standard, the budget for the defense sector was raised and the foreign partners offer financial assistance to modernize the armed forces, IPN reports.
Asked about the eventual joining of NATO by the Republic of Moldova la NATO, the official said the authorities invest in the defense scrod so as to improve the National Army’s capacity to act.
“If you ask me if I want a National Army that meets the NATO standards, my answer is surely “Yes”. We are doing this now – increasing the investments in the Army, the value of investments that come from outside, including from NATO member countries through the agency of European security mechanisms. We will continue on this path. It is important to have a broad discussion in society as society doesn’t know what NATO means. We need discussions and should explain what collective security is, what the cost of security is. Meanwhile, the National Army develops the interoperability mechanism, enjoys assistance in developing the defense and action capacities. In Ukraine, Russia continues killing people, children. We must realize that we should also have defense capabilities,” Dorin Recean stated in the program “Secrets of the Power” on JurnalTV channel.
In the same connection, the Premier said that Moldova manages to ensure control over the border with Ukraine and in the future aims to secure the safety of its airspace through investments in air defense systems.
“We are already providers of stability and security in the region. We have 1,200 km of border with Ukraine. It is the longest border of Ukraine in the West. We bear responsibility for ensuring security all over this border segment as our neighbors today have other priorities and we thwart all the attempts to traffic in human beings, drugs, goods. This means that we ensure security and stability in the European Union. Furthermore, until the end of this year, we will have surveillance radar systems; will invest in air defense systems. We will start with the critical infrastructure, which is the Airport, railway stations, energy infrastructure. We will focus on this over the next few years,” said Dorin Recean.
In 2023, the Ministry of Defense’s budget was raised by 649.9 million lei to 1.697 billion lei (about €85 million), which is 0.55% of the Gross Domestic Product.
