Day of remembrance for servicemen who died in war in Afghanistan // Moldovan PM says peace should be protected

War brings no winners. It destroys destinies, tears families apart and hinders the development of societies. Peace, on the other hand, is the basic condition for life, freedom and progress. Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu made statements to this effect, who today paid tribute to the veterans and the families of those who fell in the War in Afghanistan, on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet military troops from Afghanistan.

“The experience of those years left us with a clear lesson: war brings no winners. It destroys destinies, tears families apart and hinders the development of societies. Peace, on the other hand, is the basic condition for life, freedom and progress. With a war at our country’s border, our responsibility is all the greater: to protect peace in our country,” said Alexandru Munteanu.

According to the official, thousands of young people from villages and cities across Moldova were sent into a battle that did not belong to them, on foreign soil: 301 did not return home and hundreds came back bearing the scars of the war for the rest of their lives.

“We honor their memory with respect and gratitude. We bow before the veterans – an example of dignity and civic solidarity – and before the families who have endured loss and great suffering,” underlined Alexandru Munteanu.

February 15 is declared in Moldova as the Day of remembrance for those fallen in the war in Afghanistan.

On December 25, 1979, the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan started. The war lasted nine years, being the longest war of Soviet imperialism. On February 15, 1989, Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan. A total of 301 Moldovans mobilized into the Soviet army lost their lives in that bloody conflict. Those who returned home were marked by the ferocity of the war, facing serious health problems.