Moldova's Foreign Minister reveals: Lower than Real Madrid's...

Moldova's Minister of Foreign Affairs Popșoi was a guest on a program broadcast on the Russian news channel RTVi.

Describing the 68 percent growth in the Moldovan Ministry of Defense compared to last year as "laughable," Popșoi said, "Investments in defense in our country over the last 30 years were virtually non-existent, so this increase is starting from almost zero."

Stating that defense spending had always been approximately 0.3% of Moldova's GDP, Popșoi compared his country's military spending budget to European football clubs.

Saying that Moldova's military spending "cannot be compared in any way" to the "challenges" the country faces, Popșoi added, "This year, we are at the 0.55 percent level so far."

Finally, the Moldovan Foreign Minister stated that Real Madrid's budget is much higher than Moldova's defense budget, saying, "Sometimes I look at the budgets of European football clubs, for example, Real Madrid. Their defensive line is more expensive than our investments in the national army. Our defense budget is even lower than Real Madrid's budget. Therefore, there is still room for investment."