Tiraspol, 6 May. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Pridnestrovie's Armed Forces mark 25 years. Speaking at a grand meeting on the occasion of the anniversary, which took place in Tiraspol today, President Yevgeny Shevchuk recalled that the Pridnestrovian army protects the country's sovereignty, integrity and inviolability, the rights and freedoms of Pridnestrovians. «This is a guarantor of the country's security," underscored the head of state.
He added that two decades after armed hostilities in Pridnestrovie, when republic residents took arms to defend their land at the cost of their own lives, «some in Pridnestrovie think that military provocations have already become history».
«Several past years have shown the necessity of having a mobile, compact and trained army, which is capable of solving various tasks in defending the country and preventing provocations. We witness an aggravation of the regional situation. This includes the war in Ukraine, military buildup and training in Romania and Moldova. We remember that two years ago there were trenches along our border, a buildup of thousands of Ukrainian servicemen, military mobilisation. There were statements about the possible involvement of Pridnestrovie into Ukraine's events," said Yevgeny Shevchuk.
According to him, at such moments people are recalling the imperishable values of peace and security.
«In 2015 it was the officers and soldiers of the Defence ministry who observed restraint and went into the mode of readiness to resist any provocations. This made it impossible for our opponents to ignore the presence of Pridnestrovie's military component," underscored the president.
He recalled the important function carried out by the servicemen of the Defence Ministry's peacekeeping battalion as part of the common peacekeeping operation.
«It is evident that it [operation] protects citizens from the transition of political contradictions into the aggressive stage of military confrontation. Pridnestrovie pursues peaceful foreign policy and has a defensive military doctrine. The aim of our state is that our military should hone their skills at training grounds," said Yevgeny Shevchuk.
According to the president the world has faced today the aggressive forms of terrorism. Yevgeny Shevchuk pointed out established cooperation between the Defence Ministry and the units of the Operational Group of Russian Forces.
«The Defence Ministry's efforts alone are at times inadequate to combat terrorism. The Armed Forces, therefore, are facing the task of adjusting their military training programmes in terms of countering possible terrorist acts. The country's leadership must and will make efforts to modernise and strengthen Pridnestrovie's Armed Forces," concluded the president.
