Romania firmly supports the European path of the Republic of Moldova and wishes to reconfirm its commitment to intensifying cooperation in security and defense matters, especially as Moldova has obtained EU candidate status. This was stated by Romania’s Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr during a press conference in Chisinau.

According to the Romanian minister, his country is constantly advocating for increased EU support in boosting the resilience of the Republic of Moldova, strengthening defense capabilities and countering hybrid threats.

Angel Tîlvăr described the bilateral relations with the Moldovan Ministry of Defense as excellent and emphasized the eagerness of specialists from the Romanian Ministry of National Defense to respond to requests for support. “For us, the Republic of Moldova represents a strategic priority”, declared Angel Tîlvăr.

The Romanian official added that his ministry stands with the Republic of Moldova in the ambitious process of reforming the National Army, increasing resilience and defense against a wide spectrum of threats. At the same time, he stated that he shares the same concerns regarding the serious consequences for the region in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

“That is why we must continue to get involved at the international level to strongly support the Republic of Moldova, a state exposed to the hybrid threats of the Russian Federation, accentuated by disinformation and propaganda campaigns”. In his opinion, it is very important to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including in terms of military education.

For his part, the Moldovan Minister of Defense, Anatolie Nosatîi, said that the development of the defense capacity and transformation of the national army into a modern institution, adjusted to international standards and capable of providing security to citizens is a priority for the Ministry of Defense. He noted that the Government of Romania and the Ministry of National Defense offered significant help in this regard, including through various forms of training, joint training, but also expertise offered for the modernization of the national defense system.

Anatolie Nosatîi stated that during the dialogue with his Romanian counterpart, it was agreed on the consolidation of the dialogue between both defense institutions in the context of achieving the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Defense. Romania has always been a strategic partner of the Republic of Moldova, a fact that has been felt to the full lately, added Nosatîi.