Members of first Parliament mark Independence Day near monument to Stephan the Great

The Republic of Moldova is a sovereign, independent, democratic state free to decide its present and future, [the head of the first Parliament of the independent Moldova Alexandru Mosanu[ said at a meeting staged by the Association “Parlamentul 90” on the occasion of the Independence Day. Officials, members of the First Parliament and ordinary people gathered near the monument to ruler Stephan the Great in downtown Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. [Writer Ion Hadarca, deputy head of the first Parliament] said: “We obtained the Independence of Moldova with difficulty. The fact that the Romanian language was not always heard on this piece of land does not mean that we did not wake up as we encountered obstacles, but we will fight until we make it heard. We declared then our sovereignty and independence, chose our rights and preserved our dignity. We must find our own identity and then we will get rid of these obstacles.” “By obtaining independence, we managed to join our thoughts and have one goal – to lay the basis of a democratic state. Since then, we have experienced great challenges, but together we will succeed. We should think of today and of tomorrow so as to have a better living,” said [Petru Lucinschi, Moldova’s second president.] “The Moldovan people are proud of their language and fight for it. We must be united in order to win this long-lasting political battle that erects barriers. We must be a single will. Moldova belongs to the successors of Stephan the Great, not to the governing Communists who want to betray us. Together we can build a free country. For it we gained this Independence,” said [Nicolae Dabija, member of the first Parliament.] The meeting organized by “Parlamentul 90” was attended by Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca, the president of the PLDM Vlad Filat, the AMN leader Serafim Urecheanu and the leader of the PL Mihai Ghimpu.