Mircea Geoana: NATO, the EU and Romania will help the Republic of Moldova "to get out of Russia's influence"
The Republic of Moldova is trying to get out of the influence of the Russian Federation, and NATO, the EU and Bucharest will help it in this endeavor. This was announced by NATO's deputy general secretary, Mircea Geoană, in an interview for Digi24. The NATO official also stated that now the context is unique, and the influence that Russia can still exert on the countries of the former empire is in sharp decline.
The Deputy Secretary General of NATO also spoke about the recent requests for anti-aircraft systems made by the President of the Republic of Moldova, in the speech delivered on Thursday at the Davos Forum. "The requests for anti-aircraft systems from Chisinau came from the moment when the cruel reality appeared that the Russian Federation has no limits in terms of its desire to control the former empire. So, there are no indications of military capability that the Russian Federation will be able to make the Odesa-Transnistria junction. It is a military operation that today is not in Russia's capacity, but strategically, as the Russian Federation wants to keep Ukraine in its sphere of influence, it is clear that it also wants to keep the Republic of Moldova. Can it keep it? It depends on us and Moldovans", declared Mircea Geoană. The official believes that, at the moment, the Republic of Moldova has "a real chance" to escape "from this difficult geography" and come, together with Romania and other EU partners, to Europe. Asked what NATO's attitude will be in the future, Mircea Geoană added: "I was talking with the Moldovan leaders and I think they are right. They have a Constitution of neutrality, made in the logic of post-91. It is their decision what kind of Constitution they want. It was a complex situation, but even being neutral doesn't mean you have to be passive, it doesn't mean you have to be weak militarily. That is why the example of Switzerland is an interesting example. The lessons learned after this war and the way the Russian Federation behaves with its neighbors, I am confident it will create consequences in Georgia and the Republic of Moldova and, obviously, in Ukraine. It is clear that this force of influence of the Russian Federation in the periphery area is decreasing and this is seen in the strategic exchange. All these countries are trying to find options in other directions as well, including with the West." The Deputy Secretary General of NATO added that in the near future he will pay a visit to Chisinau, together with a European Union Commissioner, to reiterate NATO and EU support for the efforts of the Republic of Moldova to leave the sphere of influence of the Russian Federation.
