Romanians in Ukraine call on Kiev to permanently drop the term "Moldovan language"
The National Council of Ukrainian Romanians (NCRU) is calling on Kiev to officially and permanently stop using the Soviet phrase "Moldovan language" at state level and in the public sphere in Ukraine, following the example of the Republic of Moldova, according to a press release issued by the Chernivtsi BucPress news agency.
The Council sent a memorandum to this effect to President Volodimir Zelenski, Prime Minister Denis Shmigal and Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovy.
The most representative and numerous Civic Union of Romanians from the Chernivtsi, Transcarpathian, Odessa and Kiev regions also reiterated in the memorandum its numerous past demands for a definitive solution to the problem of teaching in the non-existent "Moldovan language" instead of Romanian in schools in the Odessa region.
According to the memorandum, "Kiev must recognise the identity of the so-called 'Moldovan' language on the territory of Ukraine with the Romanian language and officially renounce the use of the Soviet, Stalinist, Russian-imperial term 'Moldovan language' at state level and in the public sphere of Ukraine as a sign of respect for the official scientific designation of the Romanian language as the mother tongue of over 400. 000 citizens of Ukraine, as well as to the state language of the two neighbouring and friendly countries of Ukraine - Romania and the Republic of Moldova, which is one of the official languages of the European Union".
On 16 March, the Moldovan Parliament voted in final reading on a draft law amending the Moldovan language in Moldovan legislation and in the Constitution to Romanian.
On 22 March, the Head of State promulgated the law, which provides for the amendment of the phrase in Romanian, and on 24 March, the President's decree was published in the Official Gazette.
