Moldova-EU cooperation in security sector discussed in Chisinau

Chisinau, 8 September /MOLDPRES/ - The bilateral cooperation, the assistance programmes of the European Union for the National Army, as well as the perspectives of its boosting have been discussed at a meeting of Commandant of the National Army Eduard Ohladciuc and Chairman of the European Union Military Committee Robert Brieger.    

At the end of the meeting, the two officials held a news conference.

Brigade general Ohladciuc said that the European integration way of Moldova implied concrete steps in the development of more priority sectors, among which the modernization of the country’s defence capacities and the assistance provided to the National Army contributed to the achievement of this goal.  

„We want a modern army, adjusted to the international standards, able to defend the territorial integrity and independence of Moldova, as well as to contribute to the international efforts as to the maintaining of international peace and stability. And EU, along with other foreign partners, has been a firm supporter of this desideratum,’’ Ohladciuc stressed.

At the same time, the official referred also to the consignment of equipment purchased within the European Peace Facility, launched for Moldova in 2021. Based on this platform, the Council of Europe approved a support worth 87 million euros in all for the National Army. ‘’We are happy with the fact that the recent negotiations with EU within the European Peace Facility (EPF) for 2024 are equally optimistic for our country. The concerned decisions, as well as the political will represent a telling proof that the European Union backs our efforts of developing the defence capacities, enhancing the national resilience to the new security challenges and combating the hybrid threats,’’ Eduard Ohladciuc added.        

For his part, General Robert Brieger said that the ‘’today’s meeting is just an element of the process of boosting our cooperation based on the needs and lessons learned.’’ At the same time, the European official also said that, after the approval of the assistance of 87 million euros, Moldova had become one of the principal beneficiaries of EPF and EU would continue supporting the country in this respect.   

The delegation led by Robert Brieger is on an official visit to Moldova on 7-8 September 2023.