Young people from Moldova protested against obstacles on regaining Romanian citizenship process

About 60 youngsters from Moldova, who study in Romania, protested on Wednesday, June 14, in front of the Romanian Parliament, demanding to unblock the procedures related to obtaining Romanian citizenship by introducing clear norms into the legislation. According to the press from Bucharest, the protesters declared that, starting 2001, the Government from Bucharest blocked the process of regaining the Romanian citizenship for the Romanian ethnics from Basarabia, Northern Bucovina, Ukraine etc. whose parents or grandparents had been Romanian citizens before 1940, when the annexation by USSR of Bassarabia, Northern part of Bucovina, Hertsa county deprived them of Romanian citizenship. Protesters affirm that they are forced to wait 3-4 years before they are invited to submit their file at the Consulate of Romania in Chisinau or they have stay legally for 4 years in Romania. In this rhythm, for those nearly 29 thousand requests unsolved since 2001, 70 years will be needed. They consider that the Romanian state, before joining EU, must repair this historical inequity. Previously, several NGOs from Basarabia reclaimed the existence of some inadmissible blockades for the inhabitants from the left side of Prut, who will obtain Romanian citizenship. In a letter addressed to the president of Romania, Traian Basescu, they declared that the Romanian citizenship must be reestablished automatically to all Romanians from Bassarabia and Northern Bucovina, as the Russian Federation made in case of Russians, Ukraine for Urainians, Bulgaria for Bulgarians, Hungary for the Magyars from Ardeal etc. At present, only 2% of the population of the Republic of Moldova who had this right obtained the Romanian citizenship.