The Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova consist of the National Army and the Trupele de Carabinieri under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Until 2012,the Moldovan Border Police belonged to the armed forces.
Moldova,officially the Republic of Moldova,is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe,on the northeastern corner of the Balkans. The country spans a total of 33,483 km2 (12,928 sq mi) and has a population of approximately 2.5 million as of January 2023. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north,east,and south. The unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria lies across the Dniester river on the country's eastern border with Ukraine. Moldova is a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic with its capital in Chișinău,the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre.
The national flag of the Republic of Moldova is a vertical triband of blue,yellow,and red,charged with the coat of arms of Moldova on the centre bar. The reverse is mirrored. The flag ratio is 1:2. Until further provisions,the State Flag of Moldova is used as the national flag and ensign as well;that is,civil,state and war flag and ensign.
Relations between the European Union (EU) and Moldova are currently shaped via the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP),an EU foreign policy instrument dealing with countries bordering its member states.
The Moldovan Air Force,known officially as Air Forces Command is the national air force of Moldova. It was formed following Moldova's independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991 and is part of the National Army of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova.
The Moldovan Ground Forces,known officially as Land Forces Command is the land armed-forces branch of the National Army of the Moldovan Armed Forces. The Moldovan Ground Forces date back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union between 1991 and 1992. As of 2018 the Moldovan Ground Forces consists of around 4,000 personnel.
The Cabinet of Moldova is the chief executive body of the Government of Moldova. Its function according to the Constitution of Moldova is "to carry out the domestic and foreign policy of the State and to apply general control over the work of public administration".
Moldovan-Spanish relations are foreign relations between Spain and Moldova. On 30 January 1992 Spain established diplomatic relations with Moldova. As of 2009 Spain does not have an embassy in Chişinău. Spain is represented in Moldova via its embassy in Bucharest in Romania.
Moldova–Switzerland relations are the bilateral relations between Moldova and Switzerland. Both countries established diplomatic relations on September 2,1992. Moldova is represented in Switzerland through its embassy to the United Nations in Geneva. Switzerland is represented in Moldova through its embassy in Kyiv (Ukraine) and an honorary consulate in Chişinău. Since 1992 various senior Moldovan officials have visited Switzerland to discuss improvements in bilateral relations. Switzerland has provided significant aid to Moldova. Both nations are members of the Council of Europe.
Vitalie Marinuța is a Moldovan politician and former military officer who served as Minister of Defense of Moldova between 25 September 2009 and 27 February 2014.
Anatol Șalaru is a Moldovan politician who served as Minister of Transport and Roads Infrastructure from 2009 to 2013 and Minister of Defense from 2015 to 2016. He was member of Parliament of Moldova from 1990 to 1994 and from 2014 to 2015.
Alexandru Cimbriciuc is a politician,jurist and businessman from the Republic of Moldova.
The Ministry of Defence is one of the fourteen ministries of the Government of Moldova. It is the main executive body responsible for the managing of the Armed Forces of Moldova.
Dorin Recean is a Moldovan economist and politician serving as Prime Minister of Moldova since February 2023. Since 2022 he has also served as Presidential Advisor on Defense and National Security,and Secretary of Moldova's Supreme Security Council. He previously served as Minister of Internal Affairs of Moldova from July 2012 to February 2015. He has extensive experience in the private sector and in the IT industry with a specialisation in data,including big data,and information analysis. He also worked in development institutions and was previously a lecturer at several universities.
Maia Sandu is a Moldovan politician who has been the President of Moldova since 24 December 2020. She is the founder and former leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) and former Prime Minister of Moldova from 8 June 2019 until 14 November 2019,when the government collapsed after a vote of no-confidence. Sandu was Minister of Education from 2012 to 2015 and member of the Parliament of Moldova from 2014 to 2015,and again in 2019.
The Moldovan National Army is the senior branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova composed of the Air Force and the Land Forces. The National Army is considered to be the regular duty military force while the other branch of the armed forces,the Trupele de Carabinieri,is focused on paramilitary activities.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Moldovan National Army also known as the Commander of National Army is the professional head of the Moldovan National Army and the larger Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova. The position was established on 26 April 1994,two days after the general staff of the national army was established.
Victor Gaiciuc is a Moldovan military general,who served as Minister of Defense of Moldova from 2001 until 2004,2019 until 2020 and 2020 until 2021. He was also the Defense and National Security Advisor to former president Igor Dodon. He is currently the chairman of the Union of Officers of Moldova and was also the secretary of the Supreme Security Council.
Ion Chicu is a Moldovan economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Moldova between 2019 until his resignation in 2020.
On 15 November 2022,a missile struck Polish territory,in the village of Przewodów near the border with Ukraine,killing two people. The incident occurred during attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure by Russia. It was the first incident of a foreign missile hitting NATO territory during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Initially Ukraine accused Russia of striking Poland,while United States claimed that the missile was likely to have been an air defence missile fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile. This was later confirmed in September 2023 by the Polish Prosecutor's Office,which stated that the explosion was caused by an out of control air-defence S-300 missile.
