Nasui: Moldova Needs a Defense Industry, and I Am Personally Working to Make It Happen

Moldova needs its own defense industry, and neutrality should not be confused with a lack of defense capabilities. This was stated by Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Claudiu Nasui. The minister also called for legislative changes that would allow private investment in the production of drones and military equipment. According to him, potential investors have already expressed interest. However, the draft legislation still needs to go through political consultations before being submitted to the government and then Parliament, TVR Moldova reports. “Moldova needs a defense industry. Moldova must be able to defend itself. Everything happening in the world today shows us that we need defense capabilities. This does not mean that we should go to war. It means that we must be able to defend ourselves. To defend our home. Defensively. To achieve this, legislation needs to be changed, and I can tell you that I have personally been working on this over the past few weeks,” Claudiu Nasui said on the TVR Moldova program Punctul pe Azi. The minister expressed hope that the legislative amendments would be adopted in the near future. According to him, the procedure should be as straightforward as possible and avoid unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles to private investment in the defense industry. Asked about foreign investors’ interest in developing the sector in Moldova, Nasui confirmed that discussions were already under way. Potential investors from Romania and Ukraine are among those involved. However, the minister declined to disclose the names of the companies concerned. “Yes, such interest exists, and it has been confirmed. There is considerable interest. There are investors who could put money into establishing a defense industry here. The major names are not being disclosed for this reason. I do not want to go into details,” Nasui explained. Addressing Moldova’s constitutionally enshrined status of permanent neutrality, the minister stressed that it does not rule out the development of the country’s defense capabilities.