U.S. Ambassador: Moldova Should Have an Army That Can Defend Neutrality

Moldova is ready to resist both external and internal pressure but reforms must continue. This was stated by the U.S. ambassador to Chisinau, who stressed that America will continue to support the Chisinau authorities in promoting democracy, judicial reforms and developing anti-corruption policies, jurnal.md reports. “We are talking about supporting Moldova’s sustainability through the assistance we and our partners can offer. Moldova must be assisted as it continues its journey toward energy independence, efficiency and security. It should keep on defining ways to promote democracy, judicial reforms, anti-corruption policies. I believe these things will make society stronger and help Moldova resist pressure,” said U.S. Ambassador to Chisinau Kent D. Logsdon. When asked about President Maia Sandu’s request to equip Moldova with air defense systems, Ambassador Logsdon declined a direct response, but stated that America will continue its support in equipping the army. “We will continue to work with the armed forces and be attentive to requests. It’s important to have an army that can protect Moldova’s constitutional neutrality, and we want to find ways to help,” Kent D. Logsdon said. The White House issued a statement Friday saying it sees no immediate military threat to Moldova, but there are concerns about Russian plans to destabilize the situation, with the likely end goal of establishing a more Russian-friendly regime in Chisinau. The White House announced a series of measures in response to Russia’s plan to destabilize Moldova and that it had shared information known to the United States with officials in Chisinau so that local institutions could thwart Russia’s plans. On Sunday, Viorel Cernăuțeanu, head of the General Police Inspectorate, said a plan to destabilize our country was thwarted. According to him, several groups of young people had been trained by an agent from Russia to organize unrest during the protests. Cernăuțeanu did not reveal the names but said that he was talking about the opposition parties that are behind the protests.