"Let's not give water to the propagandists' mill." Tofan, on the military agreement with Ukraine: "Moldova remains a neutral country. At the same time, neutrality does not mean that we have to be powerless"

The Republic of Moldova intends to purchase from Ukraine military technologies tested in real war conditions, including drone interceptors, to strengthen its airspace defense capacity. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan stated that the agreement on technical-military cooperation signed on Monday, October 26, in Kiev, is not a security treaty and does not affect the neutrality of the Republic of Moldova. The clarifications were made on Tuesday, during a joint press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu, amid criticism launched by the socialists against the document.

The Head of Government explained that the purpose of the agreement is to allow the Republic of Moldova to benefit from the technologies developed and tested by Ukraine in the war with Russia, without having to invest in costly or insufficiently verified solutions.

"Indeed, yesterday, in Kiev, we signed a memorandum of technical-military cooperation. From the start, I want to say, it is not a security treaty in order not to feed the propagandists. Moldova remains a neutral country. At the same time, neutrality does not mean that we should be powerless and not care about our defense. Today, Ukraine is a country that fights every day, tests new technologies every day, not in laboratories, but on the battlefield," said Vasile Tofan.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Republic of Moldova has limited financial resources and needs to identify effective defense solutions at affordable prices. In this regard, the authorities are interested in equipment produced by Ukrainian companies, especially technologies for intercepting drones.

"We, as a country with limited resources, also want to ensure that we acquire tested technologies and technologies at low costs. Many of these technologies are currently being developed, tested, and produced by companies in Ukraine. So we want to intensify this collaboration. But once again, I want to repeat that Moldova remains a neutral country and is not part of a security agreement. It is a military-technical cooperation agreement that will give us access to technologies, including drone interceptors, which we need so much," the prime minister explained.

The statements come after the pro-Russian party, PSRM, condemned the agreement signed in Kiev, accusing the government of violating the country's neutrality and drawing Moldova into the war in Ukraine. The socialists demanded the full publication and annulment of the document, announcing that they could refer it to the Constitutional Court and organize protests.

The document was signed on October 26 by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Moldova, Anatolie Nosatîi, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Yevhenii Khmara, during the government delegation's visit to Kiev.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the agreement aims to strengthen practical cooperation between the two countries and capitalize on Ukrainian experience in monitoring and protecting airspace. The institution specified that the Republic of Moldova has already recorded over 100 airspace violations since the beginning of the war.