The Republic of Moldova allocates insufficient funds to the security sector and, for this reason, the Moldovan military’s participation in international exercises under the aegis of NATO, UN, OSCE or EU is beneficial for the development and modernization of the defense sector, expert Pavel Horea of WatchDog Community stated in a public debate hosted by IPN News Agency. According to him, the agreement between the Republic of Moldova and Romania on military cooperation will contribute to increasing the level of training of Moldovan servicemen and to connecting the National Army’s standards to NATO standards.
The defense cooperation agreement between the Republic of Moldova and Romania provides that the two countries will support each other in all aspects related to the preparation and participation in missions and operations within multinational coalitions under the aegis of the UN, OSCE, NATO or EU. Security expert Pavel Horea says that the Moldovan military’s participation in joint peacekeeping exercises ensures greater visibility for Moldova at international level.
“We have a military conflict on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, which turns us into a source of instability at the eastern borders of the European Union and at the eastern border of the North Atlantic Alliance. By participating in peacekeeping missions under the aegis of various international organizations, such as NATO, OSCE, UN or EU, the Republic of Moldova turns into a generator of stability and security. This puts the Republic of Moldova in a favorable light from diplomatic and military points of view,” stated Pavel Horea.
The Republic of Moldova in October is to send a contingent of 32 soldiers to participate in the European Union’s military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR ALTHEA. The Moldovan military will participate in this exercise as part of the Romanian contingent. The logistical part for the Moldovan military is to be provided by the Government of Romania.
“Romania is fully committed to equipping, purchasing and ensuring, both logistically and financially, the travel and stay of the soldiers who are going to leave for Sarajevo in mid-October. At the same time, these soldiers will pass under the Romanian command that is in Sarajevo. The contingent of the Republic of Moldova consisting of 32 soldiers, plus the officers who will be employed in those bodies, will be under Romanian command. This fact inflamed the pro-Russian politicians in Chisinau who, using this provision, tried to manipulate public opinion, saying that the security body of the Republic of Moldova is integrated into the security body of Romania, and our military will be subordinated to Romania, and by this we would supposedly lose our sovereignty. This is a gross falsehood and a distortion of facts. The agreement is a public one. It does not have secret aspects that could give rise to suspicion,” explained Pavel Horea.
As part of the EUFOR ALTHEA mission, the military contingent of the National Army will participate in patrol missions, evacuation of members of the international community, security of Sarajevo Airport, as well as weapons and ammunition depots on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Pavel Horea said that such joint military exercises are beneficial for the representatives of the National Army as the standards of action of the Moldovan military are adjusted to NATO standards.
“The Republic of Moldova has extremely limited resources that it could allocate to the military field. But in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted more than two years, it is necessary to pay more attention to the defense sector. The resources of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova, the Government, are limited, and thanks to the agreement on bilateral exercises, the military of the Republic of Moldova participates in various military exercises, together with the military of Romania, as well as of other NATO states - exercises that enable to improve the level of training and interoperability between states. These exercises allow to adjust the standards of communication and interaction between the servicemen of different states. These exercises help the military of the Republic of Moldova to reach international standards,” said the WatchDog community expert.
The public debate entitled “Romania-Republic of Moldova, extension of cooperation in the military field” was the 10th installment of the project “Double integration through cooperation and information. Continuity”, funded by the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova. The content of this debate does not represent the official position of the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova.
