Moldovan Defense Minister: Russia's hybrid war cannot be stopped without NATO support
Moldova’s Minister of Defense, Anatol Șalaru, said that, without the support of NATO, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova will not be able to defend against a “hybrid war” that attempts to destabilize the situation in Eastern Europe, the Defense Ministry of Moldova press service reported.
According to the report, during the opening ceremony of the active phase of the Sea Breeze 2016 military exercises in Odessa, the Minister said that cooperation between the NATO member states and their Eastern European partners is an absolute necessity.
Șalaru thanked his Ukrainian counterpart for the participation of Moldovan troops in the Sea Breeze exercises, noting that it serves as an example of cooperation between the member states of the Alliance and their partners.
On Sunday, July 24, 2016 the active phase of the multinational Sea Breeze 2016 military exercises opened in Odessa. Militaries from 13 countries – NATO members and partner countries – take part in the military exercises. 40 members of the National Army of Moldova attended the exercises.
The theme of Sea Breeze 2016 is the planning and conducting of international peacekeeping operations in the crisis area. The goal is to practice the actions of multinational staffs and forces during planning and implementing international peace operations, according to the standards of world-leading countries.
The command of the Naval Forces of Ukraine believes that the Sea Breeze 2016 exercises will increase the level of naval training during the multinational operations in crisis areas and deepen trust between seamen from different countries.
Sea Breeze is a series of multinational military exercises held in Ukraine since 1997. Ukraine and the US are co-organizers of the exercises.