On July 2, it is 507 years of the death of Stephan the Great. In the morning, officials and ordinary people laid flowers at the monument to the Moldovan ruler in central Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Communist lawmakers were the first to come to the monument. They were there at 8.30. The official ceremony started half an hour later, when high-ranking officials, MPs and heads of governmental institutions came to lay flowers. Prime Minister Vlad Filat and Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca were absent as they are abroad. Asked by the journalists what ‘Stephan the Great’ meant for him, Head of Parliament and Acting President Marian Lupu said he will always remember the sentence: “Moldova is not mine and is not yours as it belongs to your successors and the successors of your successors.” He also said that the present politicians should not forget this. He called on all the leaders of political organizations to leave the personal ambitions and vainglory aside and start work. The leader of the Liberal Party Mihai Ghimpu was short of words today. However, he said that Stephan the Great was courageous, wise and loved the people and the country and if he had ruled today, he would have definitely replaced some of the rulers, as he did in his time. Stephan the Great had ruled Moldova for almost half a century. He remained in history as one of the bravest and most skilful leaders.