Moldova Not Planning to Discuss Possible NATO Accession

Kishinev (Sputnik) - Moldovan Parliament President Igor Grosu said on Sunday there was no domestic debate whether or not to seek membership in NATO, despite earlier statements by the president and the government calling for abandoning neutrality and joining a military alliance.

In January, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that the country should abandon neutrality in order to be admitted to military alliances. She did not specifically mention NATO but had repeatedly stated that the neutrality clause of the constitution could be revised if Moldovans decide they want rapprochement with NATO. The defense ministry backed her stance that the country needs military reinforcement.

"Frankly speaking, when asked whether we want this, whether the issue of Moldova possibly joining NATO is raised, I will say that there is no such issue. [I say this] to reject all the speculation and hysteria. The hypocrisy is that the separatist authorities on the left bank of the Dnester river are much better equipped than our national army," Grosu told Moldovan broadcaster, referring to the region of Transnistria.

Grosu added that Transnistria had access to the weapons depot in Cobasna, one of the largest in Europe and located on the border with Ukraine.

In 2019, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu suggested creating a joint task force to remove the ammunition from the Cobasna warehouse using Russian troops stationed in the breakaway region, but the initiative found no support in Kishinev.

Mainly Russian-speaking Transnistria has been seeking to secede from Moldova since the late 1980s, fearing that Moldova might seek merger with Romania on a wave of nationalist movement. In 1992, Transnistria became a territory de facto not controlled by Kishinev following a two-year military conflict.