Moldovan-Estonian Defense Cooperation Discussed in Tallinn

CHISINAU, May 16, 2018 — Minister of Defense Eugen Sturza had a series of meetings with Estonian officials in Tallinn, on May 15, while on an official visit to the Baltic States.

During the talks with his Estonian counterpart, Jüri Luik, the Minister of Defense discussed the reform of our country’s defense sector, the bilateral military cooperation, and the prospects for reinforcing the Moldovan-Estonian partnership.

Eugen Sturza informed Jüri Luik about the medium and long-term priorities of the defense institution with a focus on the National Army’s reformation. Minister Sturza mentioned that, this year, the institution will start its professionalization process by hiring professional service members, training the troops in compliance with modern standards, and providing new equipment.

The Minister of Defense also said that the Republic of Moldova wishes to contribute more to the international stabilization and peacekeeping efforts and, in order to reach this objective, the institution is training service members who are to be deployed in external missions using international experts’ assistance.

The Ministers also talked about the regional security in Eastern Europe and Baltic Sea highlighting the necessity to consolidate the multilateral cooperation while addressing common security threats.

Jüri Luik described the continuous reform processes in the Estonian army, the role of the cooperation within NATO for successfully implementing them, as well as the importance of joint efforts for counteracting hybrid threats.

While in Tallinn, Eugen Sturza met with the chairperson of the National Defense Committee of the Estonian Parliament, Hannes Hanso, and visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence.

Minister of Defense Eugen Sturza is paying an official visit to the Baltic States within May 14-19, 2018.