Moldovans celebrate union with Romania, some now want to return

Romania's flag is nearly identical to Moldova's. The two states used to be united in a single country in the past, without PMR

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - On the 90th anniversary of the Unification of Romania and Moldova by the People’s Council on 27 March 1918, the Association of Historians of Moldova marked the event with festivities that were boycotted by government leaders.

People from both Moldova and Romania came together to lay flowers at the monument to Stephan the Great. Old people speaking at the event said that this day has a special importance to them also because they remember when Moldova used to be part of Greater Romania and when they studied in Romanian schools in their childhood.

" - Mihai’s dream came true as Romania was unified," said Ioan Judea, head of the Heroes’ Cult Association from Targu Mures, in reference to Mihai Viteazu (Michael the Brave) whose dream was to create a united Romanian state. In the year 1600, Michael the Brave became prince of all three principalities. During his reign, these three principalities forming the territory of present-day Romania and Moldova were united for the first time under a single Romanian ruler, himself. For this he is regarded by the Romanian people - who today are split between both Moldova and Romania - as one of Romania's greatest national heroes.

Ruling party: "A joint state requires referendum first"

Moldova's Parliament was split on whether the 90th anniversary of the union with Romania should be celebrated, ignored or denounced. Declarations on the significance of the historic union of 1918 were voiced from the Parliament’s rostrum by MP Veaceslav Untila and MP Zoia Jalba, both belonging to the opposition.

" - The Union Act adopted by our forefathers could be a worthy step to be emulated by us in the European integration process. Accomplishing this goal can be much easier with the confirmed support of Romania, which we are looking to rejoin in the European community, in the common historical, economic and cultural European space," declared Veaceslav Untila.

A member of the ruling party, Communist MP Grigore Petrenco, said that there was no reason to celebrate. He noted that the 1918 unification with Romania had been done "in the absence of a plebiscite," thus making it clear that Moldova's ruling party believes that a people can only become part of a state if the voters agree on such a move. This position is shared by the current leadership of Transdniestria, whose government believes that the will of the people must be obeyed in any negotiations over a potential unification with Moldova inside a shared state.
While Grigore Petrenco spoke, he was booed and hissed by opposition MPs.

Prior to its own unification with Romania, Moldova came into being as an independent Romanian-speaking state in 1349. Although its borders varied throughout its history, at no time in its existence did it ever include Transdniestria (known as Transnistria in the Romanian language).

At its greatest extent, the Moldovan state reached up to the Dniester river but never beyond. Transdniestria - today the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (PMR) - is located east of the Dniester, on territory which never belonged to neither Moldova nor Romania at any time in history.

See also:
» Chisinau organizations support merger with Romania; calling Moldova "failed state"
» The shared - and not so shared - history of Pridnestrovie and Moldova
» Transnistria was never part of Moldova says Romanian Bishop