Sandu says necessary to equip Moldovan army with modern weapons

The army of Moldova should receive the most modern weapons, despite the neutral status of the country prescribed in the constitution, President of the Republic Maia Sandu said on the Moldova 1 TV channel, Report informs referring to TASS.

“Neutrality does not mean demilitarization or indifference to what is happening in the region. Our army must be equipped with modern weapons in case we have to defend ourselves,” she said.

Earlier, Sandu said that the United States and a number of EU states would assist her country in equipping the army, and the European Peace Facility allocated 40 million euros for this purpose. According to her, NATO is discussing the possibility of arming not only Ukraine, but also Moldova in line with the standards of the alliance.

Chisinau plans to increase defense spending by 68% next year. This is fixed in the state budget for 2023, which was approved last week in the first reading by the Parliament.