Moldovan Parliament President Igor Grosu urged on Saturday to enhance investments in the national defense in order to be able to participate in international military exercises.

"We have to strengthen our defense ... we need investment [in the national defense], and we will invest. We are talking about elements of defense, not offense. We have almost doubled our defense budget. We did it for the first time this year, by 2023, and we will continue to invest in our defense system," the parliament president told Romanian broadcaster Digi 24.

Moldovan soldiers must have the proper equipment to be able of joining joint drills with Romania or other countries, Grosu said.

"If you want to be part of the European or world defense system, you must not only benefit from this participation, but also contribute with what little you have. It has to be coordinated," Grosu added.

Representatives of the Moldovan Defense Ministry have repeatedly expressed their will to boost the country's defense capabilities and acquire the necessary arms for this goal. In particular, Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii talked about the need to establish an air defense network, for which Moldova does not have money for now.

The 2023 defense ministry's budget has been increased by 649.9 million lei ($35 million).

A couple of days ago, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu discussed regional security issues and the prospect of Moldova's accession to the EU with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno. 

Popescu's visit to Madrid was important for bilateral relations and the process of European integration for Moldova. The officials discussed the "European future" of Moldova and regional security, according to Popescu.

The EU heads of state and government at the summit in Brussels on June 23 last year granted the status of EU accession candidates to Ukraine and Moldova. Moldova hosted in October 2022 the first meeting of the Commission on European Integration, which discussed the need for reforms in various areas and called for the creation of 35 working groups to modify local legislation in line with European standards. 

In December last year, Moldovans were almost equally divided over the country's possible accession to the European Union, as some believe Moldova will join the bloc, while others deny this possibility, according to a recent survey by social and political science research company Intellect group.