Moldovan PM says Holocaust's memory must remain most important weapon against war

Chisinau, 27 January /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita today expressed a message of support for the minority groups and of counteracting the discrimination in the society, at an event on the commemoration of the Holocaust’s victims. Attending the festivity were President Maia Sandu, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Chisinau, representatives of the parliament, Jewish Community and the Romanies’ Voice Coalition, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.       

President Maia Sandu pointed out the fact that, at present, when an unjust war against the Ukrainian people is waged at Moldova’s borders, the commemoration of those six million victims of the Holocaust gained even more tragic nuances: ‘’More than 300,000 Jews, Romanies, people belonging to other groups died in our region. The bleeding traces of the history continue to appear at the surface even after decades. I think now about those 500 pair of shoes recently found in a common grave in Tiraspol. Who were those 500 people? Who were those who pulled the trigger? Who should put aside the veil of the time, to get the truth from the lime pit? The indifference legitimates the crime.’’  

In her speech, PM Natalia Gavrilita said that today, more than ever, it is imperatively for us to learn the lessons of the history and commemorate those who had been killed in the name of a criminal ideology. ‘’The assuming of this dramatic and shameful past is a moral obligation for us, as mankind. It is important that the feelings and memories of these people are known and recorded, in order to convey a lesson of respect for the life of each man to the present and next generations,’’ Natalia Gavrilita said.    

The prime minister referred also to the need to double the efforts of the authorities and of the entire society, in order to combat destructive phenomena, such as anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia: ‘’These destinies, which went through torment, are part of our collective memory. They should stay at the basis of the education, so that we get to live in a society where the anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance have no room. And any manifestation of this kind should be punished and condemned as firmly as possible.’’   

In the conditions when Europe’s peace was destabilized by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, Natalia Gavrilita stressed the importance of the promotion and maintenance of peace: ‘’The remembrance of the Holocaust is and must remain the most important weapon against the war, as the peace is one of the most valuable things for the mankind. And when I speak about peace, I think not only about the peace between states, but also about the peace inside a society – so that we get to live everybody in reconciliation, no matter the ethnic affiliation, religion or the language we speak.’’  

The United Nations established the marking of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day for 27 January in 2005. Moldova is among the co-authors of the Resolution, adopted by the UN General Assembly by consensus on 20 January 2022, which condemns the denial of the Holocaust as historical event.  

Photo: Government