Romania will aid Moldova if Russia attacks, Romanian Army chief
Romania could help the Republic of Moldova in the event of an armed attack by Russia, based on the law that obliges the Romanian state to protect its citizens, including those abroad. The statement was made by the Chief of the Romanian Defense Staff, General Gheorghiță Vlad, in an interview with Euronews Romania.
“The Romanian Army helps the Republic of Moldova and the Army of the Republic of Moldova to develop their appropriate defensive capacity. We have many joint training programs. We have many capability development programs, we assist the Army of the Republic of Moldova to develop its defense capacity”, stated Gheorghiță Vlad.
The general said that Bucharest is ready to militarily support Chișinău “with absolutely everything” in the event of an attack and that a possible involvement could also include cooperation with NATO, given Romania’s status as a member state of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“Romania continues to be a loyal ally of the Republic of Moldova, we have a strategic partnership and we will help the Republic of Moldova with absolutely everything in the event of an attack. For the most part, yes (ed.: if Romania intervened to help the Republic of Moldova, it would also involve NATO). But do not forget that we have a law by which the Romanian state, in the event of a conflict, must assist Romanian citizens outside the national borders”, explained General Vlad.
The Chief of the Romanian Army also stressed that the country has “political, military and other instruments” to support the Republic of Moldova and especially the Romanian citizens living on its territory.
Also, Gheorghiță Vlad was confident that Russia would not launch a military attack, but he drew attention to the danger represented by the hybrid war waged by Moscow in the region.
“The Romanian Army is prepared. Even if Poland used a million-euro missile for a 10,000-euro target, this does not mean that the effect of strategic communication was not much more important. Because a message was given to Russia. Russia knows that we defend our airspace and the integrity of the territory very well. We do not need to give signals, because, from a military point of view, they know each other”, explained Gheorghiță Vlad, adding that “Romania is part of NATO and has all the appropriate security guarantees”.
“Romania's security has not been challenged for a second. We have the necessary capabilities, we have everything we need at the allied level, so that we can have a timely reaction. And Russia knows this”, the Romanian general pointed out.
Also, the Chief of the Romanian Defense Staff drew attention to the new forms of hybrid aggression used by the Russian Federation, noting that Moscow is waging "a cognitive war", through which it tries to influence public opinion and the democratic behavior of citizens.
"There are all kinds of hybrid challenges, on the border between military, political and civilian instruments. The Russian Federation is trying to speculate. Disinformation, fake news, influencing the population regarding democratic elections, the perception of values, the narrative that it is more likely to invest in education or health than in security. Security costs money. Russia is waging a cognitive war, a war with the minds of our citizens", concluded General Gheorghiță Vlad.
We point out, in context, that the Government of the Republic of Moldova approved, on October 8, the new Military Strategy for the period 2025–2035, which provides for the reorganization of the force structure, the modernization of equipment, the development of air and cyber defense, as well as the transition to a digital command system. The authorities in Chisinau also propose to gradually increase the defense budget to 1% of GDP by 2034, with an emphasis on efficiency, transparency and investments in modern equipment, training and logistics infrastructure.
