German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius assured Moldova on Friday of Germany’s continued support against threats from Moscow.
He visited the country against the backdrop of the Russian war in neighboring Ukraine.
Pistorius was received with military honors by his Moldovan counterpart Anatolie Nosatîi in the capital Chişinău.
“Together we will oppose Russia’s hybrid warfare efforts to destabilize other countries,” Pistorious said, describing Moldova as part of “the European family” and praising the “impressive steps” the country had taken towards EU accession negotiations.
Hybrid warfare means that attackers rely on a combination of traditional military operations, economic pressure, computer attacks and propaganda in the media and on social networks.
Pistorius said further defense aid for Moldova is on the way. Contracts have been signed for the delivery of another 14 German-made Piranha-3H armored transport vehicles, adding to the 19 such vehicles to be delivered in 2023.
Delivery of shoulder-mounted air defense systems is expected to begin next year. Germany is also supporting Moldova with drone defense, Pistorius said.
He added that medical equipment for the entire Moldovan armed forces was also provided, including first aid kits worth almost €1 million ($1.1 million), to be supplied by Germany to strengthen defensive preparedness.
Nosatîi thanked Germany for its support through aid projects and in the logistics sector over the past thirty years. To date, more than 430 Moldovan soldiers have benefited from training in various fields such as medicine, artillery and military education.
There is nothing more important than “having sufficient defense capabilities, maintaining peace and ensuring a stable and prosperous security environment for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova,” he said, according to the official translation.
Moldova’s pro-EU President Maia Sandu wants to make progress on the country’s integration into the European Union. The country has had the status of candidate country for the EU for about two years.
At the same time, however, Russia continues to exert great influence in the economically poor country of about 2.5 million inhabitants, which was once a republic of the Soviet Union.
Russian soldiers have been stationed in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria since the 1990s.
There are renewed fears that Moscow could use the unrest in the region as a pretext for escalation in the aftermath of the war against Ukraine.
