The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova and the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation. The signing of this document will be followed by the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two countries, which, according to the authorities, will come with a more constructive approach to developing the necessary capabilities of the National Army, IPN reports.
The letter of intent was signed on Thursday by Minister of Defense Anatolie Nosatyi and Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren, who is in Chisinau on an official visit.
In a press conference, Anatolie Nosatyi said that, despite the challenges faced by Moldova, the state firmly continues its path of European integration and implementation of democratic reforms. “The actions of the Government of the Republic of Moldova focus on building national resilience in order to counter hybrid threats and maintain peace, stability and safety for the citizens. The Ministry of Defense, together with the other state institutions, has so far made significant progress in its efforts to modernize the defense capabilities,” said the official.
According to him, Minister Kajsa Ollongren’s visit is an eloquent proof of the fact that the Netherlands is one of the partners for which the security and wellbeing of the Republic of Moldova, as a democratic country, matters. The minister thanked for the support during this difficult period and also for the openness with which the Netherlands responded to the proposals to strengthen the cooperation relations for a noble goal – that of maintaining regional and international peace and security.
Anatolie Nosatyi specified that the talks focused on the current regional security situation, especially in the Black Sea Basin, but also on countries’ strategic development objectives. “We discussed our needs within the implementation of the National Long-Term Development Plan, which provides for the modernization of military equipment and techniques. We also addressed ways in which your country could help in the modernization process. We want the defense capabilities to meet the European standards so as to fulfill our constitutional missions, to contribute to international peacekeeping efforts and to also become resilient to the hybrid challenges faced by the country,” said the minister.
For her part, Minister Kajsa Ollongren approved of the reform process undertaken by Moldova, assuring of the full support of the EU and NATO. “We are committed to continue bilateral and multilateral development, to demonstrate the desire for cooperation. An important topic was the danger of hybrid warfare coming from Russia. We will continue to provide support. The team responsible for cybersecurity has been providing support to the Republic of Moldova since 2022 and will continue offering this support. The government will continue to support and assist within the EU’s political mission through cooperation and resilience building because Moldova is going through difficult times and is facing many challenges, with which it must cope,” said the Dutch official.
