Moldovan president's message on occasion of New Year 2023

Chisinau, 1 January /MOLDPRES/ - Message by President Maia Sandu on the occasion of the New Year 2023:   

In several minutes, we will do the most important thing of this evening. I do not speak about the fact that we will celebrate the New Year, but about something more significant. About a thing which we value in a special way on the New Year night. In several minutes, when the watch will show us a new beginning, we will embrace the people dear to our souls. As we want to share the hope and joy from this evening with those whom we love.      

We appreciate more the value of these moments, which we learned, sometimes, through too tough experiences. Many people this evening will feel a void where, in former times, there was the happiness of embracing the beloved person.     

The pandemic killed many people. And then the war started. Which brought much pain. The Moldovans saw the horrors of the war in the neighbour country from nearby. The worry came to each home from Moldova. Yet, our country chose the kindness instead of the fear. We united and provided help.    

This evening, I will not say how difficult it was in the year which is ending. You know this quite well. You experienced it with all its hardships, hoping now that it is ending and leaves room for a calmer one, a 2023 year with new opportunities and nice emotions.    

The 2022 year was a year which put us to test and showed us who are we. Today, at the end of the year, we can choose to see the difficulties on our way or we can choose to see what we have done out of these hardships, what kind of people we ruled to become.  

I know well that the families today will be happy with the achievements of the dear people – somebody gave birth to a child, somebody learned to walk, somebody got the job wished, some people became grandparents, the others got medals at Olympiads. This is a fit moment for us to recall what good things we have done this year. And everybody, as country, to celebrate Moldova’s achievements.      

This year, Moldova got the gold at the World Wrestling Championships, as Anastasia Nichita made history for our country. And Serghei Tarnovschi brought gold home from the Canoe Sprint World Championships. During 2022, Moldova’s flag was hoisted many times on the platform of winners – at judo, at biathlon and at Latin dances. Sportsman Oleg Cretul brought gold from the European Paralympic Judo Championships for Blind People and Moldovans won silver, bronze medals and honorary mentions at international Olympiads in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.        

Also this year, the Moldovan wine, Negre, was declared the best wine in the world, in a competition with about five thousand wines. Our country got most prizes in the Eastern Europe at the contests of quality wines.    

Also in 2022, five Moldovan pupils won gold at the World Robot Olympiad. And Moldova’s national team achieved a sensational result, placing Moldova on the sixth position in the world at the World Chess Olympiad.  

In 2022, the first Moldovan satellite, created by researchers from the Moldovan Technical University, was launched in space.

In 2022, the national shirt, which tells the story of our nation and which we wear with pride, was included by UNESCO in the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.      

In 2022, we were happy to celebrate and wish a happy birthday to masters Eugen Doga, Spiridon Vangheli and Vladimir Besleaga. We should be proud of being contemporaries with them!  

We sang together and experienced the joy to be among the first seven at the Eurovision competition with the famous song, Trenulețul (The Small Train), sang by the Zdob și Zdub band and Advahov Brothers orchestra.  

This year, we were accepted as country candidate for accession to the European Union. This is a recognition of the Moldovans’ achievements, as well as a hope that we will build at home European hospitals, modern schools and kindergarten quality roads, will have higher salaries and pensions, a functional justice and a true democracy.   

Thousands of firemen, rescuers, physicians and policemen saved lives and protected people from dangers this year. Thousands of professors, educators, teachers were with their pupils and students, guiding them and backing them to believe in themselves.

We pay homage and give prizes to many people. The names of many who make Moldova nice remain unknown. No matter where you are now, look at the people near you – certainly, each of them did good things for our country, for our fellows and made us proud that Moldova is our home. Thank them. I thank you everybody!  

There are still many things to be done. We have everybody seen how many things we can do when we act as a community and how much we lose, if we act according to the principle ‘’each one for him/herself.’’ Yes, not always things happen just as we want to. Unfortunately, some tragedies cannot be prevented. There are sufferings which occur, no matter how courageous or honest we are. We, those from Moldova, a small country, cannot change the world order or major things internationally, but we can make the difference.  

To remain of good faith in the most critical situations makes the difference.

To help somebody in need.

To prove courage, when fear seizes everybody.  

To prove kindness. To be worthy and to defend our freedom makes the difference.

A fireman who extinguishes a fire makes the difference.

A policeman who prevents an accident.

A civil servant who helps a citizen.

A writer who brings us another good book.  

A judge who enforces the law.  

A physician who saves a life makes the difference.

A farmer who grows sound products.

An entrepreneur who opens a job.

A teacher who changes a destiny makes the difference.  

If we regard the things in this way, it does not seem impossible to succeed. We just should make a difference, each one where we are. And I am sure that Moldova will succeed due to you - wonderful people of Moldova. We will succeed in the upcoming years.   

Let us celebrate the 2023 year with modesty, gratitude and with hope that this is a beginning for our country. A beginning for each of us. And now, in the last seconds, I want to say you one thing – go to the dear people with gratitude. Call them, embrace them, be happy with one another!

A Happy New Year, dear people! A happy New Year, Moldova!  

Photo: Presidency