Moldova’s prime minister has warned that the country needs more security aid from Brussels to tackle rising levels of people and arms smuggling from conflict-torn Ukraine.
Natalia Gavrilita told the FT that the country was “seeing an increase” in smuggling of arms, people and goods. “We do not want to be a country where security threats arise, or increase . . . smuggling or illegal trafficking. While not a member of the European Union, the country borders Romania, which joined the union in 2007. .
Illegal smuggling of weapons, people and goods out of Ukraine has been a major fear for EU countries since Russia’s invasion in February, which has seen the country over the past 11 months see huge amounts of arms supplies and people seeking to leave. increased by the increased level of
In response, Brussels established a “support hub” based in Moldova in an effort to track and stop smuggling attempts. Gavrilita said that the initiative had achieved “successful efforts to prevent arms and people-trafficking”.
But it needed more support, he said on the eve of two days of meetings with the European Commission, “so we don’t let these smuggling networks grow”.
Gavrilia said she hoped the meetings would cover whether the EU could help Moldova strengthen its border security.
“This is an area of mutual interest and benefit,” Gavrilita said. “We want to be a contributor to European security, not just a beneficiary.”
Home affairs ministers from EU countries agreed at a meeting in late January that tackling people and arms smuggling from Ukraine should be a key focus area of the bloc’s security policies.
The EU is already Moldova’s most important supporter since the war began, providing a sharp increase in financial and humanitarian aid. Last month, the union said it would provide an additional €145 million to the country.
Russia’s offensive has significantly destabilized its ex-Soviet neighbor. From February 2023, Moldova has to handle the arrival of half a million refugees and the disruption of its energy supplies and trade flows, leading to an economic crisis. Lawmakers also fear the conflict could spread beyond their borders.
Moldova applied for – and was granted – EU candidate status in June alongside Ukraine, giving the strongly pro-Western leadership control of the country in 2021 after years of governments from pro-Russia parties. promotes.
Gavrilita will this week sign joint agreements with the EU on customs, fiscal cooperation and health and discuss trade liberalisation, access to the EU mobile phone roaming area and the single euro payments area. It would “show the Moldovan people the real advantage of being a candidate country for the EU”, she said.
Russia is still subjecting the country to “elements of hybrid warfare,” Gavrilita said, including the biggest cyberattack in its history last year, misinformation spread through pro-Russian media outlets, and by exiled pro-Russian businessmen. funded anti-government protests.
Chisinau has long been subject to Russian destabilization attempts, including a blackmail attempt by Kremlin gas monopoly Gazprom last winter, when it accused the country of exorbitant energy prices to try to abandon pro-EU policies. Threat was used.
“we will discuss [with EU officials] The whole spectrum of the problem that Moldova is facing, ”said Gavrilita. “Continued support and then talking about other areas where we can move forward to make sure that we build the resilience of the Moldovan economy, the Moldovan society.”
