Sandu on Possible NATO Arms Supply: We Must Improve the Army’s Defense Capabilities

President Maia Sandu has said that Moldova must receive weapons in order to provide the army with the necessary equipment. According to the president, this does not contradict the neutrality status, because it has already been violated by the Russian army’s presence in the Transdniestrian region. Maia Sandu added that Moldova will not buy weapons if they come from any state, but will receive them as military aid, agora.md reported. “Moldova does not plan to attack any country. We are a peaceful state and we want calm in the region. We have neutrality written in our constitution, but we also have an army, because neutrality does not mean that no one will attack our territorial sovereignty. We know that sovereignty and neutrality are violated as long as we have the Russian army in the Transdniestrian region. I repeat, it is not written in the constitution that we cannot have weapons and an army. If we look at other neutral countries, they have strong armies, because being neutral means not participating in a coalition like NATO, but only providing our own defense. Now we are neutral according to the Constitution, but who will defend us if anything happens,” said the President. Maia Sandu also said that the authorities must make efforts to upgrade the army. “In this situation, we need to increase our army’s combat effectiveness by certain means. We received non-lethal weapons from the European Union. We will discuss with the Ministry of Defense what basic needs the budget cannot provide, and see if there are certain things we can get from the EU or from a country in the form of assistance so that our army has certain equipment,” the president said. Maia Sandu stressed that Moldova will not buy weapons and military equipment, but will receive them in the form of aid, so that the country can defend itself. Recall that British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Moldova should be equipped according to NATO standards. Point