Chisinau has frozen the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
Moldova will suspend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) in the country. This decision was approved by the government on March 6 and will be sent to parliament and the president for approval.
State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic Valery Mizha emphasized that the suspension will come into force 150 days after the CFE Treaty member states receive notification of this.
The suspension was explained by a “fundamental change in circumstances”
Mija explained at a government meeting on Wednesday that Moldova is suspending the treaty, “taking into account the fundamental change in circumstances” compared to the time the CFE Treaty was concluded in 1990. At the same time, he emphasized that Moldova could later return to its implementation, but did not indicate the conditions under which this could happen.
Mija recalled that today 21 countries have suspended the treaty.
The State Duma called the suspension of the CFE Treaty a step against Russia's interests
State Duma deputies soon reacted to Chisinau’s decision. Head of the Defense Committee Andrey Kartapolov counted his step directed against the interests of the Russian Federation, while pointing out that the suspension will not change anything, since the agreement “has lost its purpose.”
Deputy Alexey Chepa saw in Chisinau’s decision, playing along with the West, pursuing an unpeaceful policy and “the desire to act in the NATO trend.”
Suspension of the CFE Treaty may be necessary for purchases of weapons and NATO bases
Political analyst Korneliy Churya in conversation with RIA News suggested that the decision would remove obstacles for Moldova in purchasing weapons and thereby rapprochement with NATO.
I think that the NATO theme is present in this case, albeit implicitly. But first of all, the suspension of this agreement means that Moldova will not agree with restrictions on the deployment of military equipment
In turn, Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov saw this as a signal from Chisinau to move more actively along a “pro-Western course” and, possibly, to prepare for the deployment of NATO military bases in the country.
Russia withdrew from the CFE Treaty last year
Russia has completely withdrawn from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe in 2023. In May, the State Duma denounced it, and on November 7, the Russian Federation completed the procedure for complete withdrawal.
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov explained the withdrawal by saying that “the collective West, with its destructive actions, has made it impossible for Russia to remain in the CFE Treaty.” Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev announced that after the denunciation of the CFE Treaty, Russia will maximize the production of weapons, military and special equipment, as well as weapons.
Against the backdrop of Russia's withdrawal, the United States suspended the implementation of its obligations under the CFE Treaty on December 7. It was argued that some of the CFE Treaty participants support the decision of the United States and allies to suspend the treaty, and a temporary suspension of obligations will only “strengthen the deterrent and defense potential” of NATO by lifting restrictions.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg considered that the alliance needed to be strengthened due to Russia's withdrawal from the treaty, since the main arms control mechanisms ceased to operate after this.
What is the CFE Treaty?
The Treaty was signed on November 19, 1990 in Paris by representatives of 16 NATO member states and six Warsaw Pact (WPS) member states and entered into force on November 9, 1992.
The CFE Treaty established maximum levels for NATO and Warsaw Pact countries on military equipment – tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, attack aircraft and attack helicopters. It also provided for the annual exchange of detailed information about the armed forces.
By the end of the 1990s, when former members of the Warsaw Division entered NATO, the provisions of the CFE Treaty on military equipment limits for blocs lost their meaning. This required updating the agreements. The negotiations ended with the signing on November 19, 1999, at the OSCE summit in Turkey, of the Agreement on the Adaptation of the CFE Treaty, which was to be ratified by all parties to the treaty, but not a single NATO country took this step.
In 2007, Russia suspended the Treaty, but continued to take part in meetings of the Joint Consultative Group on the CFE Treaty until March 2015.
Back in 2014, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that for Moscow the CFE Treaty is dead and there will be no return to it.
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