Mircea Geoană confirms - Chișinău has requested NATO security assistance: "We are trying to respond to requests"
Should the authorities in Chisinau request security assistance, the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance will examine this possibility within the framework of the already existing partnership. The statement was made by NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană during the "In Context" programme on public television.
"Being neutral does not mean being militarily weak. In recent times these requests have been made in a concrete way and we are trying to respond in the same concrete way to the legitimate requests of our friends in Chisinau, which the Republic of Moldova needs. That it needs an anti-aircraft defence system, that it needs an anti-drone system, that it needs cyber protection, these are obvious things. And it is absolutely legitimate for the Republic of Moldova to obtain such tools for the protection of its territory and population," NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană told Moldova 1.
Meanwhile, when asked about Moldova's possible accession to NATO, President Maia Sandu assured in a private TV show that only Moldovan citizens will decide whether or not our country should join the North Atlantic Alliance. At the moment, she said, there would be no majority support in Moldova for such a desire.
"This is something that citizens must want, because it means changing the Constitution and this must be done through a referendum. But today, if we look at the polls, we see that there is no major support for changing neutrality," said Maia Sandu.
President Maia Sandu has recently asked allies for anti-aircraft systems and financial aid to strengthen Moldova's defence capacity against the backdrop of the regional situation with the outbreak of war by the Russian Federation in Ukraine - which has sparked speculation in the public space.
Previously, the authorities have stated on several occasions that the Republic of Moldova needs to strengthen its defence capabilities, given the security risks in the region. At the same time, Chisinau states that modernising the army does not mean giving up its neutrality status.
