President Maia Sandu said the war in Ukraine is an additional argument in favor of Moldova having a small, but a professional army that would ensure the citizens’ security. The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces noted that the current government plans a National Army reform to improve the conditions for soldiers and to increase the number of services members hired on a contract, IPN reports.
Following the press reports that Kyiv asked Chisinau to offer it the 6 MIG fighter aircraft staying at the airport in Mărculești, President Maia Sandu said these planes are not serviceable and Moldova is unable to help Ukraine with military equipment.
“Ukraine seeks military assistance from all the states. All the Ukrainian ambassadors, in all the countries, speak about this. Our country does not have modern military equipment. Secondly, we have the Constitution saying that we cannot do this. We also have a Constitutional Court decision of 2017, which clearly explains neutrality. We can help them in other areas, but there are countries that are much better equipped than we are and these can help Ukraine in the military sector. The MIG planes are not serviceable due to poor management and to corruption,” Maia Sandu stated in the program “Territory of Freedom”.
In the same connection, President Maia Sandu said the government plans a reform of the National Army. The objective was set down in the government program and became a priority when the war broke out in Ukraine. Moldova needs a professional and well-equipped army.
“It’s clear that we cannot have a large army as we are a small country. But we anyway need an army that would ensure the security of the people and the country. Financing is needed for the purpose and we will get it. The army reform was planned before the start of the war and its main goal is to improve the conditions for soldiers. The number of soldiers employed on a contract will be raised and this will enable us to reduce the number of conscripts. I hope we will soon make concrete announcements about these plans. When the Constitution was written and the status of neutrality was stipulated, the financing for the army as percentage of the GDP should have been specified. What is happening in Ukraine shows that the war is possible and we should protect ourselves,” said Maia Sandu.
Recently, Parliament adopted amendments to the 2022 state budget law, increasing the budget for the defense sector by almost 128 million lei.
