Moldova and Romania Agree on Joint Purchase of Military Vehicles

Moldova and Romania signed agreements on November 2 for the joint procurement of multi-purpose wheeled vehicles under the European SAFE program. A total of 62 vehicles have been allocated to the Moldovan side. The signing ceremony was attended by Moldova’s Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii and his Romanian counterpart, Stefan-Radu Oprea, rupor.md reports. The documents formalize Moldova’s Ministry of Defense participation in a project led by Romania. According to Oprea, Romania’s military equipment program предусматривает the procurement of 2,909 vehicle platforms, with another 62 allocated to the Republic of Moldova. “This means cooperation, interoperability and the ability to coordinate much more effectively in the field of logistics. All of this is beneficial for the security of the Republic of Moldova and Romania,” the minister stressed. Oprea also noted that an IVECO factory operates in Romania’s Dambovita County. He said the development of manufacturing capacity allows Romania to export military equipment. Speaking ahead of the signing, Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu said the project had been included in the country’s defense industry investment plan and would be financed through SAFE funds allocated to Romania. “Thanks to today’s agreement, the defense ministries of Romania and the Republic of Moldova will become partners for the first time in a joint procurement under the SAFE program,” Niculescu said. Earlier, Nosatii announced that Moldova intended to purchase IDV military trucks jointly with Romania. They are expected to replace ageing Soviet-era models and be used for training the National Army.