European Union supports stability of Moldova with military assistance.

President of the European Council Charles Michel paid an official visit to Moldova’s President Maia Sandu in Chisinau on May 4. He said: ‘’Moldova has been particularly impacted by this war in your neighborhood. And it is exacerbating the existing crises of COVID-19 and risks to your energy supply. Most recently, Moldova has been affected by provocative security incidents and cyberattacks’’.
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President of the European Council Charles Michel paid an official visit to Moldova’s President Maia Sandu in Chisinau on May 4 (Picture source: European Council)

President of the European Council Charles Michel said:’’This is a defining moment for Moldova and for Europe. Russia’s war against Ukraine has caused senseless suffering and pain. And the consequences do not stop at the Ukrainian borders. The consequences are global – from Russia’s attack on international law to one of the biggest refugee crises since World War Two, to rising food and energy prices.

In view of the statements made by some Russian officials and the recent incidents on the territory of the secessionist Moldavian Republic of Dniester (Transnistria) supported by Moscow, Moldova fears that in turn, it will be in Russia's crosshairs, all the more that Chisinau wants a rapprochement with NATO and joining the European Union. The Moldovan armed forces, which number only about 5,000 soldiers, suffer from significant capacity deficits. Equipped with almost all equipment inherited from the Soviet period, with the exception of Humvees supplied by the United States, they have neither combat tanks nor fighter planes, except six MiG-29s (which are no longer airworthy) and four Aero L-39s. And that’s not counting the gaps in logistics, command and control, signals and intelligence.

The EU stands in full solidarity with Moldova. ‘To increase our support for your stability, security, territorial integrity and sovereignty, our economic and political support must continue hand in hand’’, Charles Michel said. And the EU has stepped up to help, providing €13 million of immediate funding for humanitarian programmes, followed by a further €15 million for migration management. It has also provided €15 million to reinforce the EU border assistance mission.

Regarding the EU’s support to Moldova for its security and defense, ‘’We will help Moldova to strengthen its resilience, and to cope with the consequences of the spill-over from the Russian aggression in Ukraine’’, Charles Michel said. ‘’Last year, we announced support of €7 million for equipment for the medical and engineering needs of the army under the European Peace Facility. And this year, we plan to significantly increase our support for Moldova by providing its armed forces with additional military equipment. We will also provide support to counter disinformation, strengthen social cohesion, and withstand cyberattacks. We will continue to support Moldova on its path of reforms in the area of rule of law and in particular the ongoing reform of judicial governance bodies and fighting corruption. These efforts are particularly important in the context of Moldova’s recent application to become a member of the EU. We will continue to deepen our partnership with you to bring your country closer to the EU’’.

‘’Today, the people of Moldova, and their institutions, are facing severe consequences from Russia’s war against Ukraine. In these difficult times, we must help our partners and friends to defend their security and their democratic values – our common democratic values’’, Charles Michel added.

Moldova and pro-Russia separatist Transnistria (in red color) (Picture source: EurovisionNews)