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Thank you, dear Iulian,
Congratulations on making the Moldova Security Forum such a success.
Distinguished guests,
It is an honour to address you all today, and speak about the importance of democratic resilience in the face of hybrid threats.
The Republic of Moldova understands these threats better than most.
For years, you have stood firm against interference and intimidation from Russia.
Putin’s regime has tried to undermine your free and fair elections with disinformation campaigns, with vote buying and also with threats.
They have launched cyberattacks and sabotage against your critical infrastructure.
They have violated your airspace with drones and missiles.
They have cut off your energy supplies.
And they continue to station troops on your territory without your consent.
Despite all of these hostile actions, Moldova has stood firm and strong.
You have shown the world that a small state cannot be bullied.
And you have written the playbook for resisting these acts of aggression, using your ingenuity and grit to withstand Russia’s pressure tactics.
This is in a nutshell what resilience is all about.
We have much to learn from you.
Today, NATO countries are experiencing more and more of the type of hybrid attacks that Moldova has endured for years.
Russia is failing on the battlefield in Ukraine, losing over 40,000 troops every month. When Putin is desperate, he becomes even more aggressive and ruthless. Putin continues to unleash even more brutal airstrikes on Ukrainian cities and civilians, and against critical infrastructure.
Russia is behind hostile actions against NATO Allies.
Cyberattacks. Sabotage. Arson. Airspace violations. Drone incidents.
Putin is really trying to intimidate and divide us, and his main goal is to try to disrupt our support for Ukraine.
But he will not succeed.
Because our Alliance has stood united.
NATO will keep calm, carry on, and support Ukraine.
Keep calm because we have what it takes to defend every inch of Allied territory.
Carry on investing in our defence, so that we can continue to grow stronger in our ability to deter and defend our territory and citizens.
And support Ukraine. Our response to Russia’s reckless and dangerous actions is to provide even more support for Ukraine.
NATO’s 32 Allies work hand-in-hand with each other and with more than 30 partners – across Europe and around the world.
We train together. We cooperate with each other. We support each other. And we learn how to enhance our resilience.
Moldova is an important part of this network.
NATO and Moldova have had a strong partnership for over 30 years.
This partnership is based on strong and meaningful political dialogue, as we saw with the recent visit of NATO’s Political Committee in August, celebrating Moldova’s 35th anniversary of independence.
Our partnership is also based on strong practical cooperation, to strengthen your resilience and your defence institutions.
Moldova is the largest recipient of funds from NATO’s Defence Capacity Building initiative, having received support worth nearly 50 million euros to date.
Within this overall number we have provided over 12 million euros worth of modern body armour and helmets – enough to equip the entire Moldovan army, and leave some in reserve.
We have also provided over 8 million euros for ammunition storage.
Over 4 million euros of IT equipment and software to help protect the integrity of your elections process from cyberattacks.
We also helped to develop a cyber-defence facility at the Technical University of Moldova, and a cyber-response team within the Moldovan armed forces.
What’s more, hundreds of Moldovan scientists have participated in NATO’s science programmes, developing mutually beneficial projects in counter-terrorism, cyber defence, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear defence, and many other fields.
We have run joint exercises to improve Moldova’s ability to deal with man-made and also with natural disasters.
And last but not least, we have helped to enhance good governance in Moldova’s armed forces and defence sector, strengthening institutional resilience against the risk of corruption.
All of this support from NATO has helped to strengthen Moldova.
But this is not charity.
A strong, stable, resilient Moldova contributes to stability and resilience on NATO’s borders. And this matters to us all.
And more than that, we see our partnership as a real two-way street.
As I said, we have much to learn from you.
Moldova helps strengthen NATO by sharing valuable lessons from your experience defending against hybrid threats.
Moldova is also a security provider. Since 2014, Moldova has sent troops to support KFOR, our longest peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, under a UN mandate.
Deploying troops to serve alongside those from NATO Allies and other partners helps to maintain peace and stability, not only in Kosovo – for the benefit of all communities – but also across the Western Balkans.
It also enables Moldovan armed forces to gain valuable professional experience, and develop their interoperability with NATO and other partners.
I thank Moldova for this contribution to KFOR and other international missions.
And I thank you for your ongoing support for Ukraine, as it defends itself against Russia’s war of aggression.
The people of Moldova have shown tremendous compassion and solidarity with the Ukrainian people, hosting hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
Your work to secure transportation corridors for Ukrainian exports benefits Ukraine’s economy, and also world trade.
Your cooperation with Ukraine has helped build resilience against hybrid threats.
And Moldova’s participation in the Coalition of the Willing will help ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, backing up any future peace agreement with very strong security guarantees, something Ukraine really needs.
Many of these activities have been undertaken in cooperation with partners from the European Union.
The Moldovan people have chosen a future in Europe, and you can count on our support as you continue on your path to the European Union.
Including with implementing the reforms needed to move towards EU membership.
Strong institutions are key to any successful, resilient, sovereign country. And this is what NATO, the EU and the Moldovan authorities are working to achieve.
At the same time, we fully respect Moldova’s constitutional neutrality.
National sovereignty is at the heart of everything NATO believes and does. Our Alliance of democracies fundamentally believes in the sovereign right of free peoples to determine their own future.
That is why we support Moldova’s democratic resilience against Russia’s interference.
That is why we support Ukraine’s brave resistance against Russia’s brutal war.
And that is why we are deeply concerned by the ties between Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.
As they increase their cooperation, and we see it across the globe, so must those who believe in freedom and democracy.
We must stand together to promote peace, protect our shared security, and defend our democratic values.
This is why I am here with you today.
Not only as NATO’s Deputy Secretary General.
But also as a proud citizen of North Macedonia, a country that has walked in your shoes, and still does.
It hasn’t always been easy.
But it has brought more stability, more security, and more opportunities.
I welcome the progress Moldova is making along the same path.
I will end with a story I learned recently.
I notice that, here in Moldova, you have many things named after this character called Făt-Frumos – a bookstore, a restaurant, he’s even on national coins.
From what I’ve read, Făt-Frumos is not as big, it’s not powerful as the monsters and dragons that threaten him.
But he uses his smarts, his ingenuity, his courage, and help from his friends to defeat these larger foes.
I can see why he is so important here in Moldova.
Moldova may not be the largest country, most of us are not, but you are smart.
You are vey resilient and courageous.
And you have many friends in NATO.
And when you have all these ingredients, nothing can defeat you.
Thank you for your resilience and for showing the way.