When it comes to security and defense institutions, 56% of the Moldovans trust mostly the firefighters and the SMURD (Mobile Emergency Service of Romania) service. Together with the persons who simply “have trust”, the figure rises to over 90%, shows the Study “People’s Perception of Threats and Security Institutions of the Republic of Moldova”. The study was conducted by the NATO Information and Documentation Center in cooperation with the Center for Conflict Prevention and Early Warning of Bucharest, IPN reports.
At the other pole, there are the judges and the justice sector on the whole, which are trusted “the most” by only 3.2% of the respondents.
The researchers focus on internal and external threats. They take into account the information level, the sources and preoccupations of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova in security and defense, the relations with third states, conventional threats , where support is expected to come and comes in case of a threat, trust in security and political institutions, etc.
As regards the conventional threats, assistance, and security orientation of the Republic of Moldova, the classical security threats are mentioned here, such as states and international organizations. The authors say the Moldovans do not perceive these as very relevant. “Russia is perceived as a threat by 24.1% of the participants, followed by the option “there are no such threats” – 21.8%. The podium is completed by terrorist organizations – 20.5%, followed by “I do not know/do not want to answer”. NATO and the USA are found in the survey with 10.5% and 10.2%, respectively, while Romania is seen as a threat by 44% of poll participants.”
The researchers said that interestingly, in case of a threat, assistance from Romania is the most preferred choice, followed closely by Russia and the EU, all with over 30%. 31% of those surveyed consider the Republic of Moldova can cope with a security danger itself.
The study authors believe the results of the study can be useful in the process of assessing and reforming the security sector of the Republic of Moldova, in strengthening and developing the state’s defense capacities and in ensuring a security level for the citizens.
