CHISINAU, March 3. /TASS/. The Moldovan government is holding negotiations with the European Union on the deployment of a civilian security mission to the country, Nicu Popescu, Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, said at a briefing on Friday.
"We are negotiating with the EU on the deployment of a civilian mission under the European Security and Defense Policy. It will help our institutions to strengthen their ability to counter the hybrid threats to which we are exposed as a society," Popescu said.
The minister added that the government intends to intensify cooperation with the EU in the fields of security and defense, and praised the aid that his country receives through the European Peace Facility.
In February, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Brussels was considering the possibility of deploying a mission to Moldova as part of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy. According to the diplomat, the mission should support Moldova as an EU candidate and bolster its stability in the wake of external interference and destabilizing efforts. For her part, Moldovan President Maia Sandu spoke about the threat of a coup involving opposition parties and called for expanding the powers of the country’s security services and other law enforcement bodies. In her statement, she referred to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s allegations that Ukrainian intelligence agencies had intercepted an alleged "Russian plan" to "subvert democratic order" in Moldova.
Mass protests erupted in Moldova last summer with protesters demanding the resignation of Sandu and her government, who they blamed for the economic crisis that brought about skyrocketing prices for food, gas, energy, utilities, gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as inflation that hit 34% in annual terms.