The Minister of Defense published an extremely important announcement aimed at Romania at this moment when a war, which seems endless, is taking place not far from the borders of our country, he reiterated the support that our country offers to the Republic of Moldova on multiple levels some time already.
The Minister of Defense talks about the collaboration he has with the Republic of Moldova in the military field, to support its accession to the European Union, but also in the refugee crises, or in the energy field, which the war in Ukraine has generated, and which represents a security threat in the entire region of Europe.
"My visit to Chisinau takes place in an extremely delicate regional security context. Today, together with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița, but also with the President of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, and the Minister of Defense, Anatolie Nosatîi, I analyzed the state of bilateral cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, taking into account the current security situation in the region.
The governments of our countries have strongly condemned the barbaric actions of the Russian Federation and we have been involved with all our powers in humanitarianly supporting the aggressed neighboring country, by managing an extremely large number of refugees. This war triggered multiple crises. It is no longer news to anyone that the Russian Federation uses energy as an element of blackmail. That is why, from the point of view of energy security, each of our countries must do more, to increase resilience in this vital area for national security. Romania concretely supports the Republic of Moldova in overcoming the difficulties generated by this energy crisis.
Also, the pressure that the war in Ukraine, through the flow of refugees, puts on the authorities in Chisinau is much greater than on other states such as Romania or Poland, and Romania constantly supports the Republic of Moldova in overcoming this crisis. In the discussions with the Moldovan officials, I made it very clear: the West or NATO is not looking for a confrontation with the Russian Federation. We support the sovereignty, integrity, independence of Ukraine.
I am glad that the work and determination of the authorities here, doubled by our support and that of the community of democratic European states, brought the Republic of Moldova the status of a candidate for the European Union. It is a big step towards well-being and prosperity. From the point of view of collaboration in the field of defense, together with Minister Nosatîi, we decided to maintain a constant political-military dialogue for the most effective and coordinated action, but also the continuation of joint efforts dedicated to strengthening the Strategic Partnership.
Romania is an active contributor to the NATO Package for strengthening the defense capacity dedicated to the Republic of Moldova and we will maintain the same constant nature of coordination at the expert level, in the spirit of maintaining the efficiency of the projects. We also agreed to streamline collaboration on several defense and security segments, such as military education. We have recently consolidated and ratified a new protocol in this area. We hope to use a human capital trained in Romania to modernize the structure of the National Army of the Republic of Moldova."
