With good and bad moments, the year 2017 is coming to an end and the time is now inopportune to sum up. On this occasion, IPN set the goal of finding out how 2017 was for Moldovans from the country and abroad; if it was the year when they decided to build the future at home or became more determined to leave; if it was the year when they started or closed a business or experienced something special. Today we will find out how 2017 was for journalist and writer Iulian Ciocan
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“I confess from the start that I do not like to sum up my annual work for the mass media. I do not have the popularity of the recent stars with honeyed voices and do not believe that the people are interested in my life. I make an exception for IPN, which is a respectable agency. I would first of all note that 2017 was a rather bad year for the Republic of Moldova. Not much was done to recover the money stolen from the three banks. The big reorganization of ministries gave birth to a mouse as Speaker of Parliament Candu recently complained that there are no people who would work efficiently in the reformed ministries,” stated the journalist.

Iulian Ciocan said that corruption, poverty and influence peddling in 2017 continued their triumphal march at all levels. The exodus of population wasn’t stopped and the rulers besiege us with the same sterile slogans with smell of naphthalene. Only the recent agreements between Chisinau and Tiraspol can be remarked as beneficial, but time will yet pass until these are put into practice and it is too early to draw conclusions.

“As the Moldovan political arena didn’t bring me joy, I had to satisfy myself with my little accomplishments, which are related to journalism and literature. I’m a commentator and in charge of the social network at Radio Free Europe and believe that I had a good performance in 2017. The Facebook webpage of Free Europe gathered already 176 000 likes. This is not a lot, but is not a figure to be neglected either. As a novelist, I also had several small joys. My novel “Sasha Kozak’s realm” was translated into French at the Belleville publishing house of Paris and produced favorable accounts in the literary press in France,” stated Iulian Ciocan.

Also, in 2017 the writer finished his fourth novel, called “Queen of Hearts”. Two important publishing houses, of Serbia and Croatia, intend to publish his debut novel “Before the death of Brezhnev. “I’ve got the impression, at least at literary level, that things go well for me. That’s why I will yet write novels. It is one of the few methods by which I can escape from the suffocating social environment,” concluded the writer, wishing everyone Happy Holidays!

Alina Marin, IPN

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Ana Mihailevschi: My 2017 had me reborn in the USA
Vitalie Vovc: In general MY YEAR 2017 was very good
Petru Hadârcă: I lived every day, hour, and second of my 2017 through theater