Moldova and France today signed a defense cooperation pact amid threats from Russia. Macron said that the agreement shows the country's determination to protect and help Moldova.
The signed agreement establishes a legal basis for future military training, regular dialog and intelligence sharing. A French defense mission will open in Chisinau in the summer to help assess the country's needs and begin negotiations on possible arms contracts, the French Defense Ministry said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova accused Moldovan President Maia Sandu of trying to "build a dictatorship on her territory." According to Zakharova, Sandu is "using the rule of law for political score settling and pressure."
Yesterday, March 6, it became known that Moldova suspended its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. This document Moldova signed to defuse a severe crisis with Transnistria in the 90s. The document set the equal limits on armaments and military equipment for all participating countries, and also limits the number of armed forces in the treaty area.
Withdrawal from the treaty allows Moldova to start re-forming and building up its armed forces against the backdrop of the escalating conflict in Transnistria and Gagauzia, which are supported by the Kremlin.
In early March, the head of Moldova's autonomous region of Gagauzia, Evghenia Guțul, arrived in Moscow, where she met with Valentina Matvienko, chairwoman of the Russian Security Council.
Vladimir Putin and Evghenia Guțul
Guțul said that the region's rights "are being oppressed by Moldova, this is out of line, and the region is asking Russia for support".
Yesterday, March 6, Guțul published in her Telegram channel a photo from her meeting with Putin in Sochi. In the publication, the head of Gagauzia said that Putin "promised to support Gagauzia and the Gagauz people in defending our legal rights". Gagauzia is known for its pro-Russian sentiments. Evghenia Guțul herself was a member of the unconstitutional pro-Russian party Shor, which was financed by the Kremlin. Guțul was the first Moldovan official to meet with Putin after Russia invaded Ukraine.
