Romania will not ratify documents signed between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova containing mentions in the “Moldovan language” because such a phrase would be used “on a purely political impulse,” Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu said, HotNews.ro reported on October 16.
His comments came as Romanian media criticised Romania’s signing two EU-Moldova deals that read they were also edited in the “Moldovan language.”
Cioroianu said the two documents were signed by the European Commission and didn’t need the approval of member states so Romania didn’t have a say about the use of “Moldovan language.”
He added that authorities in the Republic of Moldova will most likely stick to their decision of pushing the use of the phrase, in which case Romania may be found in a position of rejecting any documents between the EU and the former Soviet republic.
Cioroianu quotes the Academy of the Republic of Moldova saying that the official language of the state is the Romanian language.
The “Moldovan language” is seen in Romania as a phrase coined by the Communist authorities in Chisinau in an attempt to push Romania and Moldova apart culturally. Most Moldovans use a specific form of Romanian language that can also be found in Romania’s eastern region of Moldavia.
Relations between the two countries cooled off at the beginning of the year when President Traian Basescu said during a visit to Chisinau that more than half a million Moldovans had filed requests for Romanian citizenshipEarlier, a new diplomatic scandal broke out between Moldova and Romania following a border incident recently, in which Moldovan border guards did not let official delegations of three Romanian cities into the country.The delegations were traveling to the Moldovan capital Chisinau to attend the City Day.
Chisinau’s mayor Dorin Chirtoaca told reporters on October 15 the border guards did not let delegations from the cities of Bacau, Targu Mures and Navodari, as their members presented fax copies of invitations, and not their originals at the border crossing.
Chirtoaca believes the guards did not have the right to deny entry to the Romanians, who are citizens of the European Union and thus enjoy the right of a visa-free entry to Moldova. He also believes that the order to stop them had come from Moldovan authorities.
Source: New Europe, Belgium
