Romania's National Day was celebrated in the Republic of Moldova on Tuesday, with senior Moldovan officials also taking part in the events for the first time in many years, as celebrations that had actually been banned during the previous communist rule have been announced to be held in Chisinau.
The events began early in the day at the Monument of Stephen the Great in central Chisinau, where attending were Moldovan interim President Mihai Ghimpu, Chisinau mayor Dorin Chirtoaca, Liberal Party deputies as well as Romanian Embassy officials and chairman of the Romanian Senate's foreign policy commission Titus Corlatean.
‘Today is the Romanians' day and I am a Romanian', Ghimpu told the reporters. He announced he had sent Romanian President Traian Basescu a letter of congratulations, in which he wished him good health, good relations and ‘let us not forget that we have the same blood in our veins'.
Corlatean told it is natural for Romanian Parliament to be present at Stephen the Greaťs statue in order to honour Romania's Day and the Day of all the Romanians and also the memory of the Romanian history. ‘I laid this wreath at a moment that should unite all of us Romanians, no matter where we live', he said.
The event was also attended by numerous citizens, youths in particular, carrying Romanian tricolour flags and a group of 8 to 10-year-old children dressed in traditional costumes. A group of priests from the Metropolitan See of Basarabia sang ‘Happy anniversary' to Romania, with a religious service to follow. Many other events are scheduled in Chisinau on Tuesday, such as dancing The Unification Dance, a march staged in central Chisinau under the banner ‘Brothers Shall Always Be Brothers', and a map of Romania made by candles to be lit in front of the National Opera House in the evening.
source: Financiarul
