Russia has a much more extensive plan and will not stop at an eventual success in Ukraine. After Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova could be the next victim, expert Laurențiu Pleșca stated in a public debate staged by IPN.  According to him, the strengthening of the defense capabilities of the Republic of Moldova and the training of the Moldovan military are imperative in the context of the current security crisis.

On Thursday, Moldova’s Parliament in Chisinau voted an amendment to the Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of Romania. According to the document, Romania will provide support to the Republic of Moldova for participation in peacekeeping operations and missions, a fact criticized by the parliamentary opposition in Chisinau.

“I followed the debates in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. I noticed the reaction of the parliamentary opposition, but also the response of the authorities, the Ministry of Defense. I noticed that the idea is being induced that the army of the Republic of Moldova will become part of the Romanian army. It is not new disinformation. This fake was also promoted by representatives of the unconstitutional party “Shor”. I see that the Bloc of Communists and Socialists is trying to worry the population, to scare society, to induce the idea that the goal is to draw the Republic of Moldova into the war. They are also trying to make Romania and NATO a scarecrow, a bringer of wars. Which is not so. The Republic of Moldova needs support from the Romanian authorities, the European Union, NATO and the United Nations,” said Laurențiu Pleșca, researcher at the Romanian Center for Russian Studies, expert in European policies of Europuls European Expertise Center.

According to the agreement between the two states, Romania and the Republic of Moldova will support each other in the preparation and participation in peacekeeping missions and operations within multinational coalitions under the aegis of the UN, OSCE, NATO or EU. The support will include logistical, transport, telephone and internet services, financial, medical and emergency evacuation support. In this context, the Moldovan military will participate in the EUFOR ALTHEA exercise that will take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“As part of this mission, the 32 soldiers will participate in Sarajevo, in the Butmir camp. It is a multinational battalion made up of five more states. It’s not just Romania there. It’s also Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungary. Each country contributes with expertise, with resources, to ensure the success of this operation. The Moldovan military will actively participate in this peacekeeping mission, will support the joint efforts of these international troops. Coordination with the Romanian troops will take place. The troops of the Republic of Moldova enter the Romanian contingent because Romania ensures the logistical efforts for this operation. This allows the Moldovan military to gain experience, knowledge, to effectively integrate into these multinational bodies,” explained Laurențiu Pleșca.

He noted that such exercises are important for increasing the capacities of the National Army, given that Russia represents a continuous threat to Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and the Baltic countries.

“NATO states, such as the Baltic countries, which are close in size to that of the Republic of Moldova, triple their defense budget. Why do these states do this? Because of the aggression of the Russian Federation, the plans announced through the Kremlin’s intermediaries, through Russian propaganda, which clearly said that Russia has a much broader purpose. After Ukraine, after an eventual success of the summer counteroffensive announced by Moscow, the Republic of Moldova will be the next victim and then such states as the Baltic countries, Romania, Georgia would follow. Participating in joint military exercises provides us with greater security,” said Laurențiu Pleșca, who is a native of the Republic of Moldova.

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.