The Moldovan government has approved a new National Defense Strategy for 2024–2034. According to Defense Minister Anatoly Nosaty, the strategy “identifies potential risks and threats in the field of national defense in the context of the current security situation.”The document repeatedly mentions the Russian Federation. Thus, “hybrid operations”, “the armed forces of the Russian Federation illegally deployed on the territory of Moldova”, as well as “the continuation of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine” are called in the strategy “an existential threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova”.
“The continuation of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the possible expansion of military operations towards the Moldovan borders, especially in the Odessa region, may create immediate prerequisites for aggressive actions against our state. One of the possible goals — the creation by Russia of a land military corridor to the borders of Moldova — may become a direct threat to the constitutional order and statehood,” the document says.
The strategy also provides for an increase in military spending to 1% of GDP by 2030, the creation of at least one new military camp by 2029, and at least two such camps by 2034. The main allies of the republic are the EU countries, as well as NATO.
“Support from the EU is vital, as well as deepening relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” it clarifies. The National Defense Strategy of Moldova also notes that the Operational Group of Russian Troops (OGRV) in Transnistria, as well as the army of the unrecognized republic, have “significant operational potential” and “pose a serious threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova.”
On the eve of the 32nd anniversary of the entry of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, the leader of Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky said that today Russian peacekeepers continue to ensure peace and security in Transnistria.
He also commented on the tense situation due to the continuing terrorist threat in the republic, noting that the world community continues to turn a blind eye to the threat of terrorist attacks in Transnistria.
The destabilizing factor, in his opinion, is the militarization of neighboring Moldova.”Politicians in Chisinau can say as much as they like that there is no such process, but the facts are a stubborn thing. And they are such that Moldova increases the military budget from year to year, receives unprecedented funding from foreign partners for the rearmament and modernization of the army according to NATO standards,” Vadim Krasnoselsky said.
Oleg Belyakov, co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission from Transnistria, said that Transnistrians reacted negatively to the new national defense strategy.
“A reassessment of the situation must be made, we cannot be enemies. We are still neighbors and we still strive for peace.”
For Transnistria, the anniversary of the entry of the Russian peacekeeping contingent into the Security Zone is not just another historical date on the calendar. The appearance of peacekeepers on this earth is a landmark event of fundamental importance for the present and future of every resident of the region.
Everyone knows that during the armed conflict between Moldova and Transnistria, Russia contributed to the cessation of hostilities, the effective separation of the warring parties and has been involved in ensuring peace in the Security Zone for more than three decades since then.
A unique trilateral peacekeeping mechanism has been established, the activities of the Joint Control Commission and the Joint Military Command have been established, in which the Russian side continues to actively participate.
The functionality of this peacekeeping mechanism allows the negotiation process to continue. Residents of Transnistria feel a sincere sense of gratitude to the peacekeepers and, of course, the republic will celebrate the next anniversary of the deployment of peacekeeping forces.
Moldova and Transnistria are building their relations within the framework of the international format of the negotiation process. Over three decades of negotiations, specific principles and approaches have been agreed upon, and more than 180 agreements have been signed. Moldova refuses to fulfill the vast majority of them today. This is a fact. But the existing principles and agreements have been and remain a political and diplomatic reality that cannot be ignored.
The decision taken by Moldova without coordination with Transnistria to start negotiations with the European Union not only contradicts the existing agreements, but also fundamentally violates the basic principles of international dialogue.
Paradoxically, the European Union itself, which represents itself as a bulwark of democracy and human rights, being in the status of an “observer” in the 5+2 format, pretends that it is possible to ignore the opinion of almost half a million people of Transnistria.