Maia Sandu: Moldova faces brutal war pressure, needs EU
The Republic of Moldova, Romania, and the whole of Europe "are living under the pressure of a brutal war on our borders, the consequences of which reach our villages and households," stated President Maia Sandu at the reception organized on November 26 in Chișinău to mark Romania's National Day.
The head of state emphasized the need to strengthen resilience against hybrid attacks and unprecedented threats to peace, freedom, and democracy in the region.
Maia Sandu recalled that the ideals of the Great Union – peace, freedom, and democracy – are "threatened more than ever" today, in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and hybrid operations targeting both the Republic of Moldova and other European states.
"We are subjected to hybrid attacks meant to weaken and divide us. In the face of these unprecedented dangers, it is important that we have been able to rely on each other, helping one another, as is natural between sister nations. But the danger has not passed, and we must continue to defend ourselves together by consolidating resilience – within institutions, society, the business environment, and through education and communication. Unfortunately, those who seek to undermine us from the outside find support in internal forces that have distorted the values of patriotism. Patriotism does not mean isolation or exclusion; and sovereignty grows, it does not diminish, when we stand with states and peoples who share the same aspirations: peace and democracy," the President declared.
In her speech, Maia Sandu reminded attendees that the participants in the Great National Assembly more than a century ago deeply understood the aspirations of a Europe of free nations. The head of state quoted from the Resolution adopted at the time, which called for the "peace congress to achieve the communion of free nations in such a way that justice and freedom are ensured for all nations, great and small, alike, and that war is eliminated as a means of regulating international relations in the future."
"We must defend historical truth and reclaim our patriotism – and no longer allow Romanian values to be misinterpreted or instrumentalized by those who, through their actions, destroy the very things they claim to promote."
Maia Sandu mentioned that the Republic of Moldova's resilience can only be strengthened by deepening projects that connect the two banks of the Prut River: road and rail infrastructure, bridges, and energy interconnections. The head of state expressed gratitude to Romania for the constant and generous support offered over the years, stressing that these projects would not be possible without Bucharest's involvement.
The President added that resilience also involves developing economic cooperation, through job creation, investments, and joint projects carried out by companies from both countries.
In the long term, Maia Sandu affirmed, the common resilience of the Republic of Moldova and Romania can only be solidified through the country's European integration: "a path that Romania consistently and determinedly supports."
Faced with a complicated period for the region, the President stated that the current generation's duty is to honor the efforts and sacrifices of those who made the Great Union of December 1, 1918, possible.
"We must fiercely defend their legacy, so that we, in turn, may leave our children and grandchildren a Romanian space where they can live freely, with dignity, and with respect for national values."
Maia Sandu urged that today's generation must rise to the level of the Great Union generation not just through festive speeches, but through "the courage to protect and strengthen what they achieved more than a century ago."
t should be noted that the reception dedicated to Romania's National Day was attended by several officials, including Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu, and Romania's Ambassador to Chișinău, Cristian Leon-Țurcanu.
Romania's National Day is marked annually on December 1, a date commemorating the adoption of the Resolution of the Great National Assembly at Alba Iulia in 1918.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
