Romania is ready to provide specialist support to the national army of Moldova, Romania's Defence Minister Angel Tilvar said on Monday on a visit to Chisinau, Moldova.
"Romania is ready to provide specialist assistance and support to the national army of the Republic of Moldova in multiple fields. The recent donation of individual ballistic protection equipment and off-road vehicles is a concrete example of our concern to contribute to securing the resources necessary to equip the national armed forces. The donations are part of a continuous effort by Romania, through the Ministry of National Defence (MApN), to support the Republic of Moldova in the field of modern defence acquisitions," said the Romanian minister, according to a MApN press release.
Tilvar was in Chisinau at the invitation of his counterpart Anatolie Nosatii.
According to MApN, the discussions between the two dignitaries touched bilateral defence co-operation and matters related to co-operation in the regional context, inside NATO and the EU. Also discussed were regional security developments as a result of the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, with emphasis on the situations caused by the Russian bombardments on the ports of Ukraine on the Danube, near the borders with Romania and Moldova.
At the same time, Romania's full support for the advancement of Moldova in its pro-European journey was reiterated along with the importance of participating in the projects under the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial Process (SEDM), which rotational chairmanship is held by Romania from July 2023 to July 2025.
The two officials also looked at the concrete steps that Moldova has to take to prepare its accession to this regional format of political and military consultations.
"You can count on Romania for full support, so that the desired accession of the Republic of Moldova to SEDM will be achieved under Romania's chairmanship. Moldova joining this initiative as a full member will strengthen the status of the country regionally and internationally while providing new opportunities for defence co-operation with the countries in the same geographical region," said Tilvar.
On the sidelines of his visit, Tilvar and his Moldovan counterpart attended a reception of the latest MApN donations to the National Army of the Republic of Moldova consisting of individual ballistic protection equipment, namely Kevlar helmets and bulletproof vests, and off-road vehicles, as part of a continuous effort by Romania to support the modernisation of Moldova's defence bodies.
Comentează