VIDEO // Ioana Vatamanu-Margineanu, in hall where her grandparents voted for Independence: “Moldova lives through our time”

“The time of the young person, your time, is in fact the time of Moldova. Moldova lives through our time” – this is the message appreciated by the Speaker of Parliament, Igor Grosu, from the speech of Ioana Vatamanu-Margineanu, granddaughter of writer Ion Vatamanu and professor Ion Margineanu, both signatories of the Declaration of Independence. The young woman delivered it on August 26, during a solemn session at the Presidency dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Moldova.

Igor Grosu described the young woman’s speech as “emotional and memorable”, delivered in the same parliament hall where, 35 years ago, deputies voted the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova.

“I invite you to watch the emotional and memorable speech of Ioana Vatamanu-Margineanu, granddaughter of writer Ion Vatamanu and professor Ion Margineanu, both signatories of the Declaration of Independence. A speech delivered in the same emblematic hall, 35 years later, with gratitude to those who had the courage to write history,” Igor Grosu said.

In his message, the parliament speaker emphasized the young woman’s call to the generation born after the proclamation of independence, which did not experience the time when freedom did not exist.

Ioana Vatamanu-Margineanu drew attention to the risk that freedom might be taken for granted.

“We were born in freedom, in independence, and we do not know what it is like to live without it. And this is where the danger lies,” she said.

The young woman urged her generation not to treat freedom and independence as realities that have always existed.

“Let us always stand guard at the gate of our freedom. If we believe that freedom has existed since forever, we must know that it was not so,” declared Ioana Vatamanu-Margineanu.

Another message highlighted by Igor Grosu concerns the responsibility of young people for the future of the Republic of Moldova.

“The time of the young person, your time, is in fact the time of Moldova. Moldova lives through our time,” said the young woman.

Igor Grosu noted that the speech had created a symbolic link between the generation that contributed to the proclamation of independence and the generation that has the responsibility to defend it and carry it forward.

In conclusion, Ioana Vatamanu-Margineanu addressed, symbolically, the generation that voted for independence, evoking the historic moment of August 27, 1991:

“Thank you that 35 years ago, in this hall, the word ‘for’ was heard 278 times.”

The message was delivered in the context of the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Moldova, an event marked by a string of official ceremonies and remembrances of those who contributed to the republic’s separation from the Soviet Union.