There is no connection between the official Chisinau’s decision to purchase military equipment and the Transnistrian conflict settlement. Moreover, modernizing the National Army is the ordinary task of each state, representatives of the government and of civil society stated after Alexey Zaytsev, deputy director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the delivery of military equipment by the U.S. hampers the Transnistrian settlement process, IPN reports.
Shortly after the Republic of Moldova received from the U.S. the first part of military equipment intended for the National Army, the Russian Federation replied. Alexey Zaytsev said such steps would further hinder the already blocked Transnistrian settlement process.
“The purchased of military units for the National Army is an ordinary duty of a state that is recognized within particular borders. There is no possibility of connecting the purchase and modernization of resources for the National Army for self-defense with the Transnistrian settlement process. The illegal presence of the Russian troops is the only factor that prevents the settlement of the conflict,” Moldova’s former ambassador to the U.S. Igor Munteanu stated in the talk show “Shadow Cabinet” on JurnalTV channel.
“The strategy of those who follow the developments in the Republic of Moldova is to disseminate information in the public sphere. We must look at this situation from another angle. First of all, the messages of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs went down to Maria Zakharova’s deputy Zaytsev, who is not an official, but is an employee of the Ministry. The truth is the National Army needs to be strengthened, but the budget intended for the modernization of the army is very small,” said IPRE executive director Iulian Groza.
Representatives of the government noted Moscow’s reaction comes in response to the Moldovans’ increasing trust in NATO.
“There are two elements. The first is the speech given at the UN by the President, who said it clearly that we want the Russian troops to be withdrawn. Furthermore, the last poll shows our citizens’ perception of the Euro-Atlantic organization has changed. This way, the Russian federation needs to present a stance. It’s nothing else but strengthening of the country’s defense capacities,” said PAS MP Virgiliu Pâslariuc.
On September 27, the National Army received the first part of a lot of military equipment to the value of US$5 million from the Government of the United States. A part of the equipment represents a donation, while the rest is bought with state budget funds.
