Newsweek: Chisinau was reminded that being neutral does not mean being weak in the military senseNATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Gioane, speaking on Romanian TV, said that Moldova would not show "weakness in the military sense" if Moscow tried to attack this former Soviet republic.
Newsweek explains that the statement of the representative of the alliance was made in connection with the aggravation of the situation around Transnistria.
Ellie CookThe Deputy Secretary General of NATO said that, despite its neutral status, Moldova would not show "military weakness" if Moscow tried to attack this former Soviet republic.
Speaking on one of the Romanian TV channels, Mircea Gioane noted that the "article on neutrality" in the constitution of this Eastern European state "must be respected." It says that Moldova will maintain "permanent neutrality", which can only be abolished by a referendum.
Transnistria, a separatist region of Moldova, has long been home to Russian troops who were deployed there after the war in the early 1990s. And the Ukrainian conflict has forced many to think about the fate of this pro-European state, which has a common border with Ukraine.
In June 2022, Moldova and Ukraine received the status of candidates for membership in the European Union.
"We have to recognize the fact that after the war in Transnistria 30 years ago, the Republic of Moldova has an article in the constitution about its neutral status," Joane said during an interview. "This must be respected."
Nevertheless, the Moldovan government in Chisinau, headed by President Maia Sandu, understands that "being neutral does not mean being weak in a military sense," Joane continued.
"Neutral status does not mean that you do not have armed forces that could protect your territories and population."
The Deputy Secretary General of NATO questioned Moscow's ability to send additional troops to Transnistria, because this "would mean the occupation of the whole of Ukraine, including Odessa, which would allow establishing communication with those who are there."
The Ukrainian port city of Odessa is a large Ukrainian settlement, which is closest to Transnistria and its capital Tiraspol.
Moldova has felt some of the consequences of the military conflict in Ukraine: in February, missiles violated the border of its airspace.
On Monday, February 27, the Hungarian airline Wizz Air announced that it would suspend all flights to Chisinau starting from March 14, citing concerns about the security of the country's airspace due to the ongoing war.
"As a result of recent events in Moldova and the high but not inevitable risk in the country's airspace, Wizz Air has made a difficult but responsible decision to suspend all flights to Chisinau from March 14," the carrier said in a statement.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Moldova stated that it will take "all necessary measures" for the speedy return of the carrier to Chisinau, as reported by Reuters.
On February 23, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the government of Ukraine plans to conduct an "operation under false flags" directed against Transnistria in the near future. The ministry said that the Ukrainian military will wear a Russian uniform to get to this region. Chisinau rejected this information.
The next day, Russia warned that any attacks on Russian troops stationed in Transnistria would be "considered in accordance with international law as an attack on the Russian Federation."
A week earlier, Sandu accused the Kremlin of trying to send "saboteurs" in civilian clothes to "overthrow the constitutional order" in Moldova. Moscow denies this information.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that Kiev "intercepted the plan of Russian intelligence to destroy the democratic order" in Moldova.
Comments from Newsweek readers:Mike de Bruxelles
To understand Russia's claims, it is necessary to recall what promise the then US Secretary of State James Baker made to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during a meeting on February 9, 1990.
They agreed that NATO would not expand beyond the territory of East Germany, and the NATO Secretary General repeated this promise in his speech on May 17 of the same year in Brussels.
The final agreement between Russia and the West was concluded in September, and that agreement allowed NATO to deploy its troops on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Now you know what the origins of the current conflict are – the NATO alliance has not fulfilled its part of the deal. It takes two to dance the tango.
ACoupleOfTwatsRussia is unlikely to attack Moldova unless Moldova and/or Ukraine decide to seize Transnistria, which looks like a more likely scenario.
NATO sees this as an opportunity to delay part of Russia's forces, and the alliance may well order Ukraine or Moldova – which is also controlled by Washington's puppet – to strike at Transnistria.
LexingtonConcord1775The United States is not obligated to defend European countries, or any countries at all, for that matter.
This is their continent. This is Europe's task. Fight your own wars, defend your countries at your own expense, using your own financial and human resources. Don't pin your problems on the American people. The United States is an independent and sovereign country, and other countries cannot use us as they please.
WAK AnamjemNATO rocked Ukraine, and now they're talking about Moldova.
Who will be next? Many former Soviet republics have already joined NATO. The Alliance should stop accepting new members into its ranks and stop behaving aggressively. Otherwise, wise countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America will also begin to form military alliances to attack peaceful countries.
Mike de BruxellesAll those who deny that one of the main reasons for the Russian special military operation in Ukraine was the expansion of NATO to the east, are either in the service of the military industry, or are acting knowingly in bad faith.
