The first batch of equipment purchased under the European Instrument for Peace, received by the National Army (video)

CHISINAU, May 31, 2023 — The reception ceremony of the first batch of equipment delivered to the National Army through the European Instrument for Peace took place today at the headquarters of the Agency for Military Science and Memory. The event was attended by the Minister of Defense, Anatolie Nosatîi and the Vice-President of the European Commission, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who is in Chisinau, in the context of the participation in the second Summit of the European Political Community 2023.

After inspecting the goods that are part of the assistance package, worth 7 million euros, approved for the Republic of Moldova in 2021, the two officials held a press briefing.

“Our meeting today proves, once again, that the European Union is with us. In this sense, we express our gratitude to the EU member countries for the support offered to the Republic of Moldova in practically all priority areas of development, including the dimension of national defense. In 2021, the European Union launched the support platform ‘European Instrument for Peace’, and also then the European Council approved the first tranche of aid for the defense system of the Republic of Moldova. Initially, the financial assistance package constituted 7 million Euros. Later, this support reached the total amount of 87 million euros. Indisputably, that decision is an eloquent proof of the European Union’s contribution to strengthening defense capabilities and increasing our country’s resilience to current security challenges,” said the Minister of Defense at the press event.

The official added that these are the first deliveries of goods in the context of the mentioned project. “Until the end of this year, other equipment such as ambulances, demining robots, transport vehicles and medical equipment are to be received. I mention that all these goods will come bundled with training services for their use,” the official said.

For his part, Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu specified that the first equipment purchased for the National Army through the European Instrument for Peace represents a new stage of cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the EU as a candidate state for accession in the field of defense and security and will have “a positive impact for our defense capacity, to maintain peace and calm on our territory, in a complicated regional context”.

The Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, mentioned, during the briefing: “We decided to provide assistance from the European Union to contribute to strengthening the resilience of the Republic of Moldova, which is one of the countries most affected by the illegal invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. Today, we delivered the first equipment provided by the EU under the European Instrument for Peace, which will contribute to the development of the capabilities of the engineering and medical subunits of the National Army. This is just the beginning. More equipment is to come in the coming weeks and months. This demonstrates the firm and continuous support of the resilience of the Republic of Moldova on the part of the European Union and its member countries”, specified Josep Borrell.