Grigore Vieru's bust alongside great Romanian classical writers

Grigore Vieru's bust was unveiled today on the Classical Writers Alley in Chisinau's central park, on the eve of the poet's 75th birthday. It was blessed by a group of priests of Saint Theodora of Sihla Church, to which the bard often went, Info-Prim Neo reports. Hundreds of people from Chisinau took part in the ceremony and rendered homage to the one who was and remains a symbol of the national conscience. “Vieru thought of everyone on Earth. This bust is one of the few things we managed to do for our great poet,” said Moldova's Acting President Mihai Ghimpu. Prime Minister Vlad Filat considers that Grigore Vieru was an example that everyone should follow. “He knew the best how to love his mother, his native land and his native language and his work deserve being studied,” Filat said. He also said that 2010 will be a preparatory year for 2011, which will be declared the year of Grigore Vieru. Serafim Urecheanu, the president of the Moldova Noastra Alliance, said he has always admired the poet for his talent, power of persuasion and of telling the truth. “I feel a great pain in my heart because Grigore Vieru cannot be near us. He was the one who answered the questions “where do we come from?” and “where do we go?” he said. The president of the Democrat Party of Moldova Marian Lupu was born in a village that is not far from the poet's native place and is proud that he was contemporary with Grigore Vieru. Lupu said that Grigore Vieru deserved having such a monument when he was alive. Grigore Vieru's bust was made with the concerted effort of the Ministry of Culture, the Chisinau City Hall and sculptors Victor Macovei and Ruslan Tihonchuk.