Public event #BeTheChange: “Neutrality of the Republic of Moldova in the context of the new geopolitical reality”
Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), with the support offered by the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Republic of Moldova and in media partnership with Privesc.Eu, organized on Thursday, August 11, 2022, the second event of this year within the initiative “#BeTheChange: The Change starts with you!”, dedicated to the subject of the neutrality of the Republic of Moldova in the context of the new geopolitical reality.
The guests at the event, which was moderated by Ion Cristea, intern of the #BetheChange program within IPRE, spoke about the specifics and conditions established by the neutrality status of the Republic of Moldova; about the position of the state authorities towards the status of permanent neutrality in the current regional situation; about strengthening the defense capabilities of the Republic of Moldova in the context of the development of a new security strategy of the Republic of Moldova; as well as about the neutrality of the Republic of Moldova from an external perspective.
Next, we propose some of the main interventions of the speakers.
Valeriu Mija, State Secretary in the field of defense policy, national defense planning and military interoperability, Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova: “When we talk about the functionality of the neutrality status, experts in the field have divided opinions, which is also observed in the approach of political parties. Under these conditions, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova are guided by the norms of the United Nations Charter, the legal aspects stipulated in the V and XIII conventions of the Second Hague Conference of 1907 and the Geneva Convention of 1949 regarding the treatment of prisoners of war. At the moment, the state authorities are in a complex position, facing a dilemma about how to ensure the security of the citizens in the conditions where in Ukraine there is a war in full swing. The UN Charter allows a neutral state to suspend its neutrality when international security is undermined. From this point of view, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova acted correctly when they expressed their solidarity with the authorities of Ukraine, because according to the UN, Ukraine is facing external aggression. In relation to the military aid offered to the Ukrainian state, the Republic of Moldova can only help from a social and humanitarian point of view. I want to mention that we constantly monitor the regional situation, build various partnerships and develop emergency plans, and at the moment the military risk for the Republic of Moldova is not at a high level”.
Marin Butuc, Head of the Security and Defense Strategic Studies Section, Agency for Science and Military Memory: “Since the proclamation in 1994 of the Statute of permanent neutrality of the Republic of Moldova and until now, with regret, neutrality has not represented a foundation of a national security policy. There are multiple interpretations regarding the Permanent Neutrality Statute of the Republic of Moldova. For example, in some periods, neutrality has been the subject of political speculation, with some pro-Russian political classes interpreting neutrality as a constitutional clause that does not allow the possibility of military cooperation. At the same time, there was also another opinion at the level of the political class, which saw the status of neutrality as a means for solving the problem of the withdrawal of Russian Federation troops from the territory of the Republic of Moldova. This pluralism of interpretations is present even in the international arena, where some European capitals have different interpretations regarding the neutrality of the Republic of Moldova. In conclusion, the neutrality of the Republic of Moldova is an insufficient means of ensuring the security of the state and the citizens of the Republic of Moldova”.
Ion Petrescu, Colonel in reserve, expert and military analyst, Romania: “It is politically correct to say that Romania respects the status of permanent neutrality of the Republic of Moldova. As it is fair to point out that in the context of the war in Ukraine, this status does not provide the desired security in Chisinau. The situation on the Eastern Front calls for the reform and modernization of the security and national defense sector of the Republic of Moldova. In a peaceful Europe, no one would have questioned the right of neutrality, but in Eastern Europe, the clearly expressed desire to restore the former Soviet territory, within the ever-expanding borders of the Russian Federation, annihilates the constructive effects of this status. It is necessary to strengthen the national defense with modern defensive combat technique. At the same time, it would be desirable to further perfect an international treaty – intended to prevent aggression from outside, as well as to guarantee the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. I have confidence in the ability of the professionals of the National Army of the Republic of Moldova to quickly adapt to a crisis situation, including by focusing the defense of the territory on the city of Chisinau, up to the natural reaction of those interested, in the transatlantic community, of maintaining the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova”.
For more details, you can watch the video recording of the event on privesc.eu here and on rlive.md here.
The event was organized by interns, participating in the #StagiuIPRE2022 program within the IPRE project “Change starts with you! – #BetheChange: Youth for the Europeanization of the Republic of Moldova”, implemented in cooperation with the Hanns Seidel Foundation in the Republic of Moldova and with the financial support of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
