Moldova Suspends Participation in European Arms Reduction Treaty

On March 6, the Moldovan government decided to suspend the implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), signed in Paris in 1990. The decision will take effect 150 days after notification is provided to the treaty's member states. This was reported by the Moldovan publication NewsMaker.

According to Valeriy Mizha, the Deputy Secretary of the Moldovan Ministry of Defense, with Russia's withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, "the circumstances under which it was concluded in 1990 have fundamentally changed," rendering the treaty obsolete.

"Currently, 21 countries have announced the suspension of the treaty," explained Valeriy Mizha.

Russia reacted to this decision by the Moldovan government, stating that it is against Moscow's interests. It is worth noting that Russia itself suspended its participation in this treaty in July 2007 by the decree of President Vladimir Putin, with the corresponding law adopted on November 29, 2007. On November 7, 2023, Russia definitively withdrew from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, after which NATO countries announced their intention to indefinitely suspend their participation in the treaty.

"Recognizing the role of the CFE as a cornerstone of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, the situation where NATO member states adhere to the treaty while Russia does not would be unstable. Therefore, as a result, NATO member states intend to suspend the implementation of the CFE for as long as necessary in accordance with their rights under international norms," NATO's statement said.

Recall that the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed in 1990 in Paris by representatives of 16 NATO countries and six countries of the Warsaw Pact. The document limited five main categories of conventional arms and equipment in the armies of participating states: battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, and combat aircraft. The total number of each category for each bloc should not have exceeded: 40,000 battle tanks; 60,000 armoured combat vehicles; 40,000 artillery units with a calibre of 100 mm and above; 13,600 combat aircraft; 4,000 attack helicopters. In addition, the agreement limited the amount of arms and equipment deployed on the so-called flanks of the organizations.