Moldova to change laws to produce arms for itself, parliament head says

Moldova's pro-European government intends to press ​for changes in legislation to allow for the ​production of weapons, but needs them ‌for ​its own defence and has no intention of providing them to neighbouring Ukraine, the head of parliament said on Friday.

Parliament Chairman Igor Grosu, the ‌No. 2 official in Moldova's state hierarchy, said the changes were needed to proceed with the manufacture of dual-purpose weapons, like drones. "I would very much like for us to produce them for ourselves. We need them, ‌particularly for dual-use purposes," Grosu told a two-day international security forum, citing drone use for national security, ‌emergencies and agriculture.

Grosu, head of President Maia Sandu's Action and Solidarity Party, which holds a majority in parliament, dismissed any suggestion that they might be meant for use by Ukraine in its 4-1/2-year-old war with Russia. "Of course not! Why would we?" ⁠he told ​reporters. "We would produce them for ⁠ourselves."

Sandu's administration, which wants Moldova to join the European Union by 2030, has been fiercely critical of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Moldova, ⁠lying between Ukraine and EU member Romania, has been buffeted by the war. Increasing numbers of drones and missiles, ​believed by authorities to be Russian, have intruded into the country's airspace in recent weeks, with ⁠debris crashing on its territory.

Grosu told the forum that 88 such violations of Moldova's airspace had been recorded since Russia's February ⁠2022 invasion. "With ​such figures, people are asking a simple question: Can our state defend us?" he said.

"We cannot provide this defence overnight. And we cannot in four years make up for 30 years of ⁠failing to finance our defence. To protect our airspace we need radar, equipment, trained personnel, communications, infrastructure and procedures." Sandu ⁠told the forum on ⁠Thursday that Moldova's position in the region was "vulnerable". She said domestic defence production was a key part of future defence planning and changes to legislation would ‌soon be submitted ‌to parliament.