Ilan Shor. File photoMOSCOW, Oct 10The plans of official Chisinau to rearm will lead the country to poverty, Moldova does not need an army, the leader of the opposition Shor party, Ilan Shor, said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti. Earlier, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in the media that official Chisinau should rely on a strong army for security issues and not on the status of neutrality in the constitution. «My opinion is that Moldova does not need an army. We are a neutral state. And the money that goes to the army should be directed to pensions, to increase salaries. Unfortunately, for 30 years, many who have been helm of the country, brought it to poverty and to total poverty. Why does Moldova need an army, when the Constitution clearly spells out neutrality? We should not attack anyone and defend ourselves from anyone. Yes, part of the money can be sent to strengthen the special police ( analogue of OMON), and use the rest of the money to improve the living standards of citizens. This is the main task of a politician today — to feed people,» Shor said, from which The correspondent of RIA Novosti spoke via Skype. The politician himself is outside of Moldova, since he is awaiting imprisonment in his homeland. With the coming to power of the Action and Solidarity party, Shor was deprived of parliamentary immunity due to suspicions of money laundering and fraud on an especially large scale. Moldovan President Maia Sandu, commenting on opposition protests in the media, reproached the judges for dragging out the trial in the Shor case. Earlier, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said in an interview with Telegraph that Britain and other NATO countries are discussing the possibility of supplying weapons to Moldova. According to her, this measure is aimed at protecting the country from the alleged «threat of invasion» from Russia. The readiness to provide military assistance was also expressed by US representatives and the head of the European Council, Charles Michel. French President Emmanuel Macron said that Moldova will receive 40 million euros from the European Defense Fund to double its military budget. At the same time, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told reporters that in Moscow, NATO's intentions to supply weapons to Moldova raise questions. In the Global Firepower Index 2022, the Moldovan army ranks 105th out of 140 countries. According to the rating compilers, the national army of Moldova has 10 tanks, 381 armored vehicles, nine self-propelled artillery mounts, 69 non-self-propelled mounts and 25 rocket mounts. Moldovan authorities are preparing to change laws to EU standards
