History is used as a political tool, opinions
- 14.05.2012 18:18
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- 2 minute(s)
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The Treaty of Bucharest is a classic example of how history is used in political purposes by the unionist elites in Moldovan and Romania. The opinion was voiced by historian Serghei Nazaria, head of the Center of Strategic Analysis and Prognosis. During a press conference, he claimed that the annexation of Basarabia by the Russian Empire had no negative consequences and that the people wanted that, Info-Prim Neo reports.
“The fact that 200 years ago Basarabia was included in the Russian Empire was perfectly legal at the time and nobody denied that”, he said. According to him, the ordinary folk and the intellectual elite desired that. Moreover, that part of Basarabia that hadn’t been annexed, suffered because of that. “There is no evidence that anyone suffered because of the annexation, but on the contrary- they wanted it”, he declared.
Nazaria accused unionist forces of presenting the event of 200 years ago as a negative one, although its actual consequences were positive. “The purpose of people who present the events in a certain light and the purpose of these unionist manifestations is to eliminate the Moldovan state and to unite Basarabia with Romania”, he said.
Former Moldovan ambassador in Romania and lecturer Emil Ciobu labeled the Treaty of Bucharest as a trading card in the Moldovan political games. According to him, we are witnessing an attempt to adapt historical processes to current political interests. “History cannot be changed, it can be only falsified”, he said.
On May 16, 1812, the Treaty of Bucharest was signed between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, ending the Russian-Turkish war between 1806 and 1812. According to the document, the Ottomans ceded a 45,630 sq.km land to the Tsar. The Russians obtained the lands of Hotin, Soroca, Orhei, Lapusna, Greceni, Hotarniceni, Codru, Tighina, Carligatura, Falciu, the eastern half of Iasi region and Bugeac. The Russian authorities renamed the newly occupied region “Bessarabia” in 1813. In turn, the Russians obliged to withdraw their troops from Moldova. However, some experts consider the concession violated the treaties and international law at the time, as Moldova wasn’t a Turkish province.
