January 10 (SeeNews) - Moldovan defence ministry said that the country will take delivery on January 10 of a first batch of Piranha armored personnel carriers from Germany.
The APCs will be used in the training of the military, who are to be deployed in international peacekeeping missions, and will contribute to the modernisation of the Moldovan army, the defence ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The armoured vehicles are being delivered under an agreement signed with the German government in October 2021.
Last month, Moldova's parliament extended the state of emergency in the country by a further 60 days starting December 6 under a proposal by the government, local media reported. The state of emergency was first introduced on February 24 when Russia launched its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine to ensure the security of energy supplies, to manage migration of refugees from the war and to offset security risks.
At the beginning of May, European Council president Charles Michel said that the EU plans to significantly increase military support for Moldova in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine. In April, Moldovan president Maia Sandu said that the country needs to make serious financial and logistical efforts to build a professional, modern and well-equipped military in order to be able to face the many security challenges in the region. Moldova has allocated to defence spending 773 million lei ($42 million/ 39 million euro), or 0.3% of its projected 2022 gross domestic product (GDP), data posted on the finance ministry's website showed.
($=0.959 euro)