VIDEO // Moldovan parliament speaker: ''Independence belongs to everyone. Let us enjoy it and protect it”

Independence belongs to everyone. Let us enjoy it, protect it, and cherish it, from young to old. Regardless of the language we speak or the place we come from, independence unites us, and this is how it must always remain. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu today made statements to this effect at the solemn parliament meeting dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Moldova.

The event took place in the historic hall of the Presidency building where, 35 years ago, the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

“On 27 August 1991, President Mircea Snegur, from this very rostrum, declared: ‘The time has come to do justice to our people. Long live independent Moldova!’ This page in the history of our state was the crowning work of the 277 worthy deputies who, at a turning point, had the courage and proudly signed for the independence of the Republic of Moldova. Why do I say a turning point? Just a week earlier, the Soviet Union had been shaken by the attempted coup d’état in Moscow. There was uncertainty all around us. No one could know for sure what would follow. And those victories achieved by the national liberation movement in recent years – the return to the Latin script and the declaration of the Romanian language as the state language, the adoption of the flag and the declaration of sovereignty – were one step away from being banned again. But here, in this hall, the deputies of the first parliament chose freedom and democracy,” Igor Grosu said.

The official stressed that independence had not come by itself, but was the expression of the National Liberation Movement that began in the mid-1980s.

“It was a period in which hundreds of thousands of people took to streets and demanded freedom, the right to speak their language, the right to know their true history and the right to decide their own future, after almost 200 years of occupation marked by policies of repression and denationalization. ‘Long live independent Moldova!’ resounded also on the Great National Assembly Square (PMAN), where tens of thousands of people from all over Moldova gathered and demanded that our country be independent. The then Speaker of Parliament, Alexandru Mosanu, from this historic hall, read out the act of the declaration by which he solemnly proclaimed that the Republic of Moldova is a sovereign, independent and democratic state, free to determine its present and future, without any interference from outside, in accordance with the sacred ideals and aspirations of the people in the historical and ethnic space of their national becoming. These words were and remain to this day our creed and they guide us in our daily work, including in the process of Moldova’s European integration, which must complete the Declaration of Independence that embodied the will of the people,” the parliament speaker noted.

Igor Grosu pointed out that the role of politicians over these 35 years had not changed: to listen to and fully respect the will of the people.

“This is what democracy means and it is one of the greatest achievements we gained together with independence. We have had and still have the honor of knowing people who have made history. For example, we, those from Andrușul de Sus in Cahul, had deputy Nicolae Todos, a consummate patriot, a gentle and hardworking man who dedicated his life both to his profession as an engineer and to writing. Through his work, he sensitively conveyed the sufferings and experiences of the people from my village and helped to create and strengthen the Republic of Moldova. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, but his legacy will not be forgotten, just as the legacy of every deputy who signed the Declaration of Independence will not be forgotten. I am proud that I had the honor to be a student at the Faculty of History, and that the first Speaker of Parliament, Alexandru Mosanu, was my professor. Professor Mosanu was the one who spoke to us with care about our past and with responsibility for our future,” he emphasized.

The parliament speaker underlined that, from a historical point of view, 35 years in the life of a state is not very much, but from a democratic point of view, it is the age of a generation.

“An entire generation was born and has lived and worked in the state called the Republic of Moldova. In these years we have learned, sometimes with difficulty, what it means to be an independent state, to know our history and to consolidate our own identity. I thank you, on behalf of the parliament and personally, for everything you have done for the Republic of Moldova. You are the founding parents of this state and I am honored that we are together today. You laid the foundations. Our duty is to strengthen them and to develop the Republic of Moldova, to enshrine all the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and to promote national values, freedom and democracy in the Republic of Moldova,” Igor Grosu concluded.

The parliament today convened at a solemn meeting dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Moldova. The event has an official, solemn and commemorative character, highlighting historical memory, the contribution of those who took part in the proclamation of independence and the responsibility of today’s generations to consolidate the values for which the independent state was proclaimed.

The meeting brought together representatives of Parliament, the Presidency, the Government, as well as of the Public Association, Parliament of Independence. During the event, a Book of Honor was opened, in which participants can record messages and reflections on the affirmation and consolidation of the independence of the Republic of Moldova over the past 35 years. Later, the Book of Honor will be displayed at Parliament, so that the general public can leave messages.

In addition, an exhibition titled, Memory of Independence, will be inaugurated, bringing together exhibits from the collections of the Museum, Archive, and Library of the Parliament of Moldova, as well as from the holdings of the National Archives Agency.