Moldovan parliament speaker conveys message on 37th anniversary of withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan

It is important to cherish peace and to care for those who have borne the burden of war. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu today conveyed a message to this effect, in the context of marking the 37th anniversary of the withdrawal of the Soviet military troops from Afghanistan.

According to the official, this event closed a painful chapter of history and left deep scars on the lives of thousands of families of Moldova.

“It has been 37 years since the withdrawal of Soviet military troops from Afghanistan – a moment that ended a painful chapter of history and left deep marks on the destinies of thousands of families from Moldova,” the official said.

Igor Grosu stressed that almost 13,000 Moldovans had taken part in that war.

“Three hundred and one young soldiers, barely 20 years old, died far from home in a conflict that did not belong to them. Around 700 other young Moldovans, who were fulfilling their military duty, were wounded and another 12,000 returned home with the aftereffects of war, many of them having since passed away,” noted Speaker Igor Grosu.

The parliament speaker emphasized the need to cherish peace and to care for those who had borne the burden of war.

“We keep in our thoughts the veterans who survived, as well as the families and loved ones of those who fell on the front. It is important to cherish peace and to care for those who borne the burden of war,” Igor Grosu concluded.

The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan started on December 25, 1979. The war lasted nine years, becoming the longest war of Soviet imperialism. On February 15, 1989, the Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan.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.

February 15 is declared in Moldova as the Day of commemoration of those who fell in the war in Afghanistan.