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European Council sets up civilian mission to enhance Moldova’s security

It is reported that Moldova is "one of the countries most affected by the fallout" of the current situation in Ukraine

BRUSSELS, April 24. /TASS/. The European Council has decided to set up a civilian security mission to Moldova to counter hybrid and cyber threats, as well as foreign information interference, according to the European Council’s statement released on Monday.

"The Council today established the EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova (EUPM Moldova) under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The objective of this civilian mission is to enhance the resilience of the security sector of the country in the areas of crisis management and hybrid threats, including cybersecurity, and countering foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI)," the document reads.

According to the document, Moldova is "one of the countries most affected by the fallout" of the current situation in Ukraine. "Today we are stepping up EU support to Moldova protect its security," it quoted EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

"The mission will provide advice at strategic level on the development of strategies and policies, and identify the needs for capacity building for early warning, detection, identification, attribution of threats and the response to hybrid threats," the document notes. The mission will have a two-year mandate and will be headquartered in Moldova. A head of the mission’s operation on the grounds will be appointed soon.

A source in the European Council said earlier that the European Union was planning to set up a mechanism of personal sanctions against those whom it suspects of undermining Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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