The last four Piranha-3 armored wheeled vehicles provided within the assistance program of the Federal Republic of Germany were shipped to the National Army. In the handover ceremony, Germany’s Ambassador in Chisinau Margret Maria Uebber said these vehicles are designed to improve the defense capability of the Republic of Moldova and offers the country the possibility of contributing to international security. Germany fully respects the Republic of Moldova’s status of neutrality that is stipulated in the Constitution. The status of neutrality does not yet exclude the necessity of being able to defend oneself in case of attacks from outside, IPN reports.
Margret Maria Uebber noted that by this ceremony, the project to improve military mobility for the Republic of Moldova’s armed forces is officially completed. The last four vehicles delivered on Wednesday, together with the 15 delivered earlier, were shipped under an agreement signed by the defense ministries of the two states on November 12, 2022. “I’m confident that the 19 Piranha-3 armored vehicles will contribute to improving the mobility capacity of the armed forces of the Republic of Moldova,” stated the diplomat.
Minister of Defense Anatolie Nosatyi said that the personnel of Peacekeeping Battalion No. 22 was trained and certified to operate the armored vehicles and to keep them functional. The service members were able to use them in international exercises on national training grounds and fully appreciated the quality of these military vehicles that ensure a high level of mobility and protection. The Republic of Moldova has taken steps to improve its defense capability. The National Army invested in equipment and personnel so as to ensure the protection of the state in the context of the security challenges in the region.
The Moldovan-German cooperation in the military sector started in March 2003 together with the signing of the agreement of inter-ministerial cooperation in the defense sector.
