French military mission in Moldova to consist of one officer

Moldovan Defence Minister Anatolie Nosatii has said that the opening of a French military mission in Moldova does not imply the deployment of the French military personnel there.

“While speaking about the creation of a French military mission in Moldova, French President Emmanuel Macron did not mean stationing French troops here. The matter rests in a permanent mission consisting of one person who will serve as a military attaché at the French diplomatic mission. This is a female lieutenant colonel, who is accredited in Moldova, but until now worked from Bucharest. She will be transferred to Chisinau from April. This will be the French military mission,” Nosatii told PRO TV Chsinau on March 12, Interfax reports.

He expressed regret over speculation about the French military mission.

“The defence sector has recently been a field for disinformation and manipulation,” the minister said.

He noted that there are military attaches in 10 diplomatic missions in Moldova, and so far no one has spoken about any foreign presence.

“There are military attaches in the embassies of Romania, the US, Belarus, and the Russian Federation. The Czech Republic and China established military attache positions in their embassies in Chisinau in 2023,” Nosatii said.