Moldovan president participates in national scientific conference on culture of memory

President Maia Sandu today participated in the national scientific conference, The Culture of Memory and Gratitude: Heritage, Present, Future, held as part of the Decade of Memory and Gratitude, organized by the Education and Research Ministry (MEC).

The head of state highlighted the significance of March 2 – a date with profound historical meaning, dedicated to commemorating those who, in 1992, defended the independence and territorial integrity of Moldova. The Moldovan president emphasized that, in a democratic society, memory is not imposed, but built through research, documentation, education and public acknowledgment.

“In the case of Moldova, the memory of the war on Dniester is a lesson about the fragility of peace. It shows us how easily the constitutional order of a state can be attacked, how quickly an attempt can be made to short-circuit the democratic path,” the head of state pointed out.

President Maia Sandu paid tribute to those who had defended the country, as well as to the victims of deportations, repressions and famine during the Soviet regime, underlining the importance of gratitude and the responsibility of educational and cultural institutions and of the community of historians, in promoting historical truth.

“Schools and universities have an essential role to play here: to teach young people to read documents, compare sources, understand context, distinguish facts from interpretations and recognize manipulation. And archives, museums, research institutes and the community of historians must become guarantees that memory is based on evidence, not on myths,” the Moldovan president stressed.

At the end of the conference, the participants adopted a Resolution strongly condemning the denial, justification, minimization or distorted presentation of the War for the Defense of the Independence and Territorial Integrity of Moldova, as well as of the repressions, deportations and famine of 1946–1947. The document reaffirms respect for the memory of the victims and human dignity, while expressing full support for the European integration path of Moldova and urging citizens to responsibility and civic engagement, in order to maintain this objective.