The Republic of Moldova must invest in defense and seek new partnerships, Poland’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Tomasz Kobzdej stated in an interview with IPN News Agency. According to the Polish diplomat, neutrality is not a reliable model for Poland and the entire Polish society is aware of this. Tomasz Kobzdej explained that during the period of Poland’s neutrality, the country lost territories and this experience was a lesson that the Polish people learned.
The Polish ambassador in Chisinau said that neutrality is a security model that works in some countries of the world, but this model is not supported by the Polish society. Poland only suffered from its status of neutrality, and the Republic of Moldova must invest in defense even if, according to the Constitution, it is a neutral state.
“We have a number of neutral states in the world and we need to understand that these countries are not only safe, but also rich. If we talk about neutrality, Poland was also neutral in the eighteenth century and what were the consequences? We lost our territories. We lost our country for a period of over 120 years. We learned this lesson and I think it would be interesting for other European countries, including the Republic of Moldova. I know that there are different opinions in the Republic of Moldova. A part of society considers that the neutrality provision in the Constitution is a good one. There are other segments that have a different opinion. We understand that the political elites in the Republic of Moldova are also divided on this issue. We are diplomats and we do not pronounce on domestic political issues. But I can refer to Poland. No one in my country believed and does not believe that having a geographic location like ours, having the geopolitical situation we have, neutrality would work. This would be the advice I would convey to my friends and partners in Moldova,” stated Ambassador Tomasz Kobzdej.
The Polish diplomat highly appreciated the Security Strategy of the Republic of Moldova and the National Defense Strategy, which expressly stipulate that Russia is the main threat to the country. He explained that the status of neutrality does not prevent the Republic of Moldova from increasing its investments in the field of defense and launching new security partnerships.
“I’m not an expert in the field of defense, but I think that if someone wants to ensure their security, there must be a very precise, strategic way of thinking. I have been in the Republic of Moldova since 2022 and over the past two years I have noticed revolutionary changes in the strategic thinking of the Republic of Moldova. I have read the new National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy. Now I hear about particular military strategies thanks to which the armed forces can be modernized. It’s something revolutionary. What is written in the Security Strategy, the document that lists the dangers, the threats, is very accurate, precise. Definitely, investments in own defense and new partnerships are necessary. The Republic of Moldova, having the dimensions it has, must look for partners. What will happen now in October will have an enormous impact not only on the socioeconomic development, but also on the security of the Republic of Moldova,” the Polish diplomat pointed out.
The interview with Poland’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Tomasz Kobzdej, was conducted by IPN News Agency as part of the project “Developing Political Culture Through Public Debates”, which is supported by the German “Hanns Seidel” Foundation.
