The Government of the Republic of Moldova approved on Wednesday the draft law on the suspension of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, signed in Paris on November 19, 1990. Also in Paris, Chisinau will sign a bilateral agreement on defense cooperation. with France on Thursday, News.ro reports citing NewsMaker reports.

Chisinau, Republic of MoldovaPhoto: Alessandro Serrano’/AGF / Sipa Press / Profimedia

The decision of the Chisinau government to suspend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe must be approved by the parliament and the country’s president.

According to the Ministry of Defense, three factors led to the development of the draft law, including the official withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the treaty on November 7, 2023, and military aggression against a country that is a party to the treaty (Ukraine).

The Republic of Moldova intends to suspend the contract “with the possibility of returning to its implementation later”. The suspension of the Agreement will take effect 150 days after the notification is received by the depositary and the States Parties to the Agreement.

Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defense Valeriu Mia explained that “with the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from this treaty, the circumstances that formed the basis of the conclusion of this treaty in 1990 changed fundamentally.”

He also reported that currently 21 states have announced the suspension of the agreement.

On the other hand, the Republic of Moldova and France will sign a bilateral agreement on defense cooperation on Thursday as part of the West’s efforts to strengthen the potential of the small state on the border with Ukraine, amid fears that Russia is making increasing efforts to destabilize Chisinau, which it warned the other day head of Chisinau intelligence.

President Maia Sandu, who was in Romania on Wednesday, will meet President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday and will be accompanied by the defense minister. Also on Thursday, Paris convened a video conference with Ukraine’s allies, where support for the Republic of Moldova will also be discussed.