Minister of Defense Vasile Dincu declared on Saturday, in Chisinau, that NATO is not looking for a confrontation with the Russian Federation and that it unequivocally supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, integrity and independence, according to Agerpres.

„The West, NATO, is not looking for a confrontation with the Russian Federation. What we want to convey is that there are principles and values from which we do not deviate. We unequivocally support the sovereignty, integrity and independence of Ukraine and, under no circumstances, do we recognize the so-called referendums in the occupied regions,” said Minister Vasile Dincu, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES by the Ministry of National Defense (MApN).

During his official visit to Chisinau, Minister Vasile Dincu had, on Saturday, a series of meetings with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, with the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, and with the Minister of Defense, Anatolie Nosatii.

According to the press release, during the discussions with Prime Minister Gavrilita, the status of bilateral cooperation was analysed, as well as in the regional context and of international institutions.

„We can affirm that the status of cooperation between our countries is at the highest level in the history of bilateral relations, which creates premises among the most favorable, including for the development of collaboration between our armies, in multiple fields – joint training and exercises, military education, assistance in the field of military planning and the development of capabilities,” said Minister Dincu, as quoted in the press release.

The discussions also included an exchange of views on the security situation in the area, against the background of the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, context in which were highlighted the actions taken by both countries to manage the unprecedented number of refugees from Ukraine, as well as the energy crisis generated by Russia.

„The governments of our countries have strongly condemned the barbaric actions of the Russian army and we have been involved with all our powers in supporting the aggressed neighboring country from a humanitarian perspective, by managing an extremely large number of refugees. I want to congratulate the authorities of the Republic of Moldova for the example of solidarity and humanity without precedent demonstrated in this entire period,” said Vasile Dincu.

During the meeting with the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, the Romanian Minister of National Defense appreciated, among other things, that the war in Ukraine triggered multiple crises and highlighted the role of the two countries’ parliaments in creating the legislative framework for strengthening resilience, especially in the energy field.

„It is no longer news to anyone that the Russian Federation uses energy as an element of blackmail. Therefore, from the point of view of energy security, each of our countries must do more to increase resilience in this vital field for national security. Romania concretely supports the Republic of Moldova in overcoming the difficulties generated by this energy crisis,” the Romanian official declared, according to the MApN press release.

During the official meeting between the two defense ministers, Vasile Dincu and Anatolie Nosatii, the status and perspectives of bilateral cooperation in the military field and the regional security situation were discussed. At the same time, the state of implementation of joint projects and cooperation priorities were analysed, especially in the context of the 7th meeting of the Romania – Republic of Moldova Joint Military Commission, which took place in Chisinau between September 14 and 16. The importance of joint training for increasing interoperability between the two armies was also mentioned, with the recent exercises „SHIELD OF FIRE”, which took place in the Republic of Moldova, and „CETATEA”, held in Romania, being the best examples.

At the same time, according to the cited source, was reiterated our country’s full support for the advancement of the European path of the Republic of Moldova, the development of relations with the Euro-Atlantic structures, for participation in the UN missions and in the projects subsumed under the regional initiative South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial – Coordination Committee (SEDM) meetings, whose rotating presidency will be taken over by Romania in 2023.

„I am glad that your work and determination, doubled by our support and that of the community of democratic European states, brought the Republic of Moldova the status of candidate for membership of the European Union. A big step towards well-being and prosperity. Today we are together again, in this effort of the Republic Moldova to join the great European family. We are determined and confident to continue together. Our history, so complicated and tragic, has shown us that there is no other way than building a common future in a united Europe,” said the minister Dincu.

As a conclusion, the two officials emphasized the importance of maintaining a constant dynamic of the political-military dialogue, for an action as efficient and coordinated as possible, and the continuation of joint efforts dedicated to the consolidation of the Strategic Partnership.

„Romania is an active contributor to the NATO Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) package for the Republic of Moldova and we will maintain the same constant nature of coordination at the expert level, in the spirit of maintaining the efficiency of the projects. We agreed to streamline the collaboration on several segments in the field of defense and security, such as military education. Recently, we consolidated and ratified a new protocol in this field. We hope to use a trained human capital in Romania to modernize the structure of the National Army of the Republic of Moldova, in line with the objectives that you you proposed,” concluded Vasile Dincu.

The agenda of Minister Vasile Dincu’s official visit to Chisinau includes for Sunday a visit to the Agency of Sciences and Military Memory of the National Army, and the Military Museum in Chisinau.

Agerpres