Netherlands to Allocate Additional Military Support to Georgia, Moldova, and BiH Against Russian Threat

The Netherlands will invest an additional €8 million in the NATO fund for the development of military capabilities in Georgia, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to strengthen these vulnerable countries against the Russian threat.

This announcement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wopke Hoekstra, during the NATO summit, as reported by De Telegraaf.

"In these times of instability, it is crucial that we, as NATO allies, strengthen our security cooperation with partners in Eastern Europe," said Hoekstra during a press conference. "Only together can we guarantee a strong and reliable deterrent against Russian aggression," he added.

The €8 million allocated to the Defense and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) fund will be used for counter-drone systems, enhanced ammunition depot protection, and cyber resilience.

Hoekstra emphasized that in the current unstable times, it is essential to strengthen the cooperation between NATO allies and Eastern European countries, as Russia seeks to interfere in the internal affairs of Georgia, Moldova, and BiH.

"These three countries are struggling with unwanted Russian influence and interference. Russian forces are present even in the separatist regions of Moldova and Georgia. In Moldova, the Kremlin has attempted to undermine democracy through propaganda and cyber attacks," Hoekstra added.

The Netherlands is already actively providing cyber assistance to Moldova. With a contribution of €8 million to the Defense and Related Security Capacity Building Initiative, The Hague aims to go even further. The support package for the three NATO partner countries will be used for "non-lethal support" such as counter-drone systems, cyber defense, and secure storage of weapons and ammunition.

Earlier, the Netherlands promised to send an additional 150 troops to Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the EUFOR Althea mission.

The mentioned NATO fund, the Defense and Related Security Capacity Building Initiative (DCB), aims to assist NATO partners in developing military capabilities without directly providing weapons. Georgia and Moldova have also received support under this initiative.