Moldovan president at conference says defending truth part of democratic resilience, national security

President Maia Sandu today participated in the National Scientific Conference, May 9: Remembrance, Reconciliation and European Unity, organized by the Education and Research Ministry (MEC). The event took place at the Maria Biesu National Opera and Ballet Theatre and brought together researchers, history and social sciences teachers, heads of educational institutions, students, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps.

In her speech, the head of state highlighted the importance of a culture of memory based on historical facts and the need to anchor in society the truth about the events of 1945 and their dramatic consequences. “May 9 is Victory Day — and the sacrifice of those who fought and died in the Second World War must be respected and marked with dignity. But history did not stop in 1945,” said President Maia Sandu. She recalled the suffering endured by people of the country in the post‑war period — deportations, organized famine, repression and attempts to suppress national identity. “We cannot tolerate the overlap of commemorating the victims of the war with the glorification of the Soviet regime,” the head of state underlined.

The Moldovan president also emphasized the link between the memory of the war and the European project: “There is no contradiction between the idea of honoring Victory Day and celebrating Europe. On the contrary. The European project was born precisely from the devastating lesson of war and totalitarianism, from the conviction that peace and freedom must replace hatred and imperialism.”

The head of state referred as well to the cognitive warfare Moldova was is facing — a form of aggression that targets, among other things, the manipulation of collective memory and the falsification of the past, in order to influence the present and the future. The president also spoke about how Russian propaganda was trying to justify the war of aggression against Ukraine by distorting history and denying the identity of the Ukrainian people. In the context, the head of state stressed that “defending the truth is part of democratic resilience and national security.”

In conclusion, President Maia Sandu reaffirmed that the European path of Moldova involves learning and passing on the lessons of history to future generations: “The European future of Moldova means assuming the past, just as it means choosing truth over propaganda.”