The Netherlands will provide Moldova with financial assistance of 4 million euros to improve the sustainability of its government institutions.
This was stated by the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, during a joint press conference held in Chisinau with her Moldovan colleague Anatolie Nosatîi. She noted that they discussed cooperation between the national armies of Moldova and the Netherlands, and the parties signed a bilateral letter of intent to strengthen cooperation, which is an important step. “We will continue to develop bilateral and multilateral cooperation, in particular through the European Union. In this sense, we welcome the recent approval of the 4th EU aid package under the European Peace Facility for Moldova. The Netherlands supports this decision and will continue to provide support on this issue in the future,” said Kajsa Ollongren. She noted that the Netherlands knows that Moldova is currently facing hybrid threats from Russia. “That is why we discussed the deployment of the EU Hybrid Threat Rapid Response Team. Cybersecurity is a key element, especially in ensuring fair, free and secure elections that will soon take place in Moldova. We will also intensify cooperation with the EU Partnership Mission in Moldova and will provide financial assistance in the amount of 4 million euros to improve the sustainability of Moldova’s government institutions,” said Kajsa Ollongren. She highly appreciated the constructive discussions held in the Ministry of Defense of Moldova, which made it possible to carefully consider the state of bilateral cooperation in the military segment and current security challenges, expressing confidence that the partnership between the parties will strengthen. In turn, Anatolie Nosatîi said that the signed bilateral document of intent will strengthen the partnership between the defense departments of the two states. According to him, the Netherlands is one of the partners for whom the security and well-being of Moldova, as a democratic country, is important and which contributes to the maintenance of regional and international peace and security. The parties discussed the current situation in the field of regional security, especially in the Black Sea basin, the strategic development goals of our country, the contribution of the Netherlands to the professional training of personnel of the National Army of Moldova within the framework of educational programs and training courses in Dutch specialized schools. Anatolie Nosatîi thanked the Netherlands for its significant contribution to the support and promotion of Moldova’s European vector in the international arena, consultations in the field of cybersecurity, the involvement and assistance of Dutch experts in conducting joint military exercises, as well as the support provided within the framework of Moldova’s Defense Capacity Consolidation Initiative projects. “We want a defense capability that meets European standards to fulfill our constitutional objectives, contribute to international peacekeeping efforts and at the same time become resilient to the hybrid challenges our country faces. This is a commitment that the Ministry of Defense has undertaken and is paying special attention to. We are glad that the Netherlands is among our reliable partners who offer us assistance in this direction,” said Anatolie Nosatîi. The Minister of Defense emphasized the importance of the bilateral letter of intent signed during the visit, clarifying that it supports joint efforts to strengthen cooperation between the institutions of the two countries and, accordingly, serves as the basis for the subsequent conclusion of an actual agreement on defense cooperation. “By strengthening our cooperative relationship, we together contribute not only to improving the situation in terms of defense and security, but also to creating a stable, secure and prosperous environment for the citizens of Moldova. We continue to count on the support of the Netherlands in achieving these goals,” added Anatolie Nosatîi. // 11.04.2024 — InfoMarket.
