Moldova celebrates 35 years since proclamation of Independence; Presidents of Romania, Ukraine expected in Chisinau

The Republic of Moldova is celebrating 35 years since the proclamation of its Independence. Presidents of Romania and Ukraine, Nicusor Dan and Volodymyr Zelensky, are expected in Chisinau, invited by President Maia Sandu to take part in the events dedicated to this day. The celebrations marking 35 years of independence will take place in the capital and across the country throughout the day.

Independence Day began in the morning with flower-laying ceremonies at the Grieving Mother monument at the Eternity Memorial Complex and at the monument to Ruler Stephen the Great and Holy.

Starting at 16:45, President Maia Sandu and President of Romania Nicusor Dan will attend the military parade, where more than 2,000 soldiers will march with military equipment from the arsenal of the National Army and the Interior Ministry. The event will be preceded by a bilateral meeting between the two presidents.

In the evening, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Chisinau. A trilateral meeting of the delegations of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine will take place, followed, at 19:25, by press statements made by the three heads of state. Later in the evening, Maia Sandu, Nicusor Dan and Volodymyr Zelensky will address citizens on the Great National Assembly Square (PMAN), where a concert dedicated to Independence Day will be held.

On August 27, 1991, the first democratically elected Parliament adopted the Declaration of Independence. On that day, thousands of people from different localities of Moldova gathered in central Chisinau to support the proclamation of independence and to express their aspiration for a free and sovereign state.

Carolina Cheianu was a pupil at the time. She recalls that she used to come to PMAN together with her teacher and other schoolmates. She was in the eighth grade and had been present at all National Assemblies.

“We went to fight for our language, the Romanian language, and for independence. For us, that period meant patriotism. It was the desire to speak our language and to have our own country. When the adoption of the Declaration of Independence was announced, the emotions were indescribable; it was the feeling that this is our country and that we must speak our own Romanian language,” Carolina Cheianu told MOLDPRES.

Photographer Mihai Potârniche, who captured the decisive moments of August 27, 1991, says that he realized at the time that what was happening in front of his lens would remain in history.

“I realized that August 27, the day when Parliament was to adopt the Declaration of Independence, was a historic day. I photographed what was happening in Parliament, then the moment when the deputies came out into the street, where a sea of people was waiting for them. It was very difficult to get onto the roof of the Government building, but I managed to get there, and from above I saw the entire Great National Assembly Square filled with people. I took one of my favorite photographs: that sea of people with their hands raised. For me, that image says a great deal,” the photographer noted.

Some of the most important moments of August 27, 1991, can be revisited in a photographic exhibition opened at the Presidency of Moldova on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of Independence.

Historian Octavian Țîcu says that, in the 35 years of independence, the Republic of Moldova has gone through periods marked by change and uncertainty, but today the country is more consolidated and better prepared to continue on its European path.

“The evolution of the Republic of Moldova in these 35 years of independence has been like a ‘roller coaster’. Citizens must understand that they are Europeans and that the Republic of Moldova is part of the European space. The Romanian language is one of the old European languages. We are a European people and we must return there without swinging anymore between East and West. We need unity in our society. The Republic of Moldova looks today much more vigorous than it did in 1991, in 2009, or even in 2020. State institutions are functioning and there is a certain unity at the level of actions. Therefore, I am more optimistic at 35 years of independence than I was, for example, in 1991, 1992, 2009, or 2020,” Octavian Țîcu told MOLDPRES.

The Independence Day today will culminate on the Great National Assembly Square with a concert featuring renowned artists and musical bands from the Republic of Moldova. The event is part of the national programme, The Independence That Unites Us. Moldova-35. The programme includes over 20 cultural, educational, commemorative and festive events held throughout the year.