The Republic of Moldova and the Kingdom of the Netherlands will strengthen their defense cooperation
The Netherlands will provide financial support worth four million euros to increase the resilience of the state institutions of the Republic of Moldova. This was announced by the Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, who is on a visit to our country. During a meeting with the Minister of Defense in Chisinau, the two officials also signed a bilateral agreement that will strengthen the partnership between the two countries in the military field.
"We want defense capabilities to European standards, to fulfill our constitutional missions, to contribute to international peacekeeping efforts and, at the same time, to become resilient to the hybrid challenges facing our country. It is a commitment that the Ministry of Defense has assumed from the very beginning and to which we pay increased attention. We are glad that the Netherlands is among our reliable partners who offer us assistance in this direction as well", said Anatolie Nosatîi, the Minister of Defense.
The Minister of Defense highlighted the importance of the bilateral document of intentions signed during the visit, specifying that it supports joint efforts to strengthen collaborative relations between the institutions of the two countries and, respectively, serves as a basis for the subsequent conclusion of the actual Cooperation Agreement in the field of defense.
"By strengthening our cooperative relations, we contribute together not only to the improvement of the situation in terms of defense and security, but also to the creation of a stable, safe and prosperous environment for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. We continue to count on the support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in achieving these objectives", added Minister Nosatîi.
The Minister of Defense of the Netherlands welcomed the recent approval of the fourth EU assistance package for the Republic of Moldova and promised to provide further support in this regard.
"We will continue to develop bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly through the European Union. In this sense, we welcome the recent approval of the fourth assistance package from the EU, within the framework of the European Peace Instrument, for the Republic of Moldova. The Kingdom of the Netherlands supports this decision and will continue to provide support in this regard in the future. We know that the Republic of Moldova is currently facing hybrid threats from the Russian Federation. That's why we discussed the deployment of an EU rapid response team to hybrid threats. Cyber security is a key element, especially in ensuring fair, free and safe elections, which will soon take place in the Republic of Moldova", said Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defense in the Netherlands.
In Chisinau, the Dutch official had a meeting with President Maia Sandu. During the dialogue, the head of state emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral economic relations, as well as those in the field of security and defense.
Also, Maia Sandu expressed her gratitude for the support provided by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the European course of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, the president thanked the Dutch Government for the assistance given to our country in the field of cyber security.
