Press-Relase
on the organization of the debate “Unification, Statehood, Nostalgia: Can Moldova be independent?”, Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” Series

Public debates series held by the news agency IPN in its conference room with the support of the German Foundation “Hanns Seidel”

Held on 29 August 2016, Debate 59 brought together Emil Ciobu, foreign affairs expert with the “Statehood Moldova” Civic Platform; Vlad Bileţchi, co-president of the pro-unification NGO “Honor, Dignity and Homeland”; Mihail Lupaşco, coordinator of the “Statehood Moldova” Civic Platform; Sergiu Prodan, film director, screenwriter and producer; Igor Boţan, the Project’s standing expert.

Why this topic and selection of participants? This topic, because, as Moldova celebrated its Independence Day very recently, many of the country’s hidden problems have yet again surfaced. Two of the oldest and most aching of them are the national identity deficit and the fragmentation of society along political, ethnic, linguistic, geopolitical, and in some ways religious lines. In light of this, we often – and especially on such occasions – ask ourselves: can Moldova be an independent nation?

In what can be described as a very rare occurrence, this debate has pitted together the supporters of unification with Romania and the advocates of a stronger statehood of the Republic of Moldova within its current internationally recognized borders.

Two more essential things about this debate:

1. We purposefully avoided inviting representatives of political parties in order to prevent angry polemics. We wanted a discussion that would be both sincere and useful.
2. We didn’t have representatives of the people who are nostalgic about the Soviet past, either. One reason is that this group has no organization to represent them. However, during the debate the existence and the social influence of this group was acknowledged and discussed.

The speakers concluded that there is no national project in Moldova that would unite society that is fragmented based on different currents, such as ‘statalism’ and ‘unionism’. At the same time, about one third of the population is ‘nostalgic’ for the Soviet period because they are dissatisfied that neither the statehood supporters nor the unionists have yet presented a clear project for the Moldovan state. However, the union with Romania should not be regarded as a panacea for the problems faced by Moldovan society as a union is possible only as a result of broad, long-lasting and peaceful evolution.

In particular, pro-statehood expert Emil Ciobu said that after the declaration of Independence, no subject was introduced in the school curricula to teach the children what the state is and what its history is. “I cannot be nostalgic. The USSR cannot be rebuilt, but we remained at the level of the political elite with communist thinking, no matter how the party of which they form part is called. If we, before the independence, worked and said that communism was close, now we say that we will soon integrate into the EU and will have everything, that the French people will work and the English people will pay us. But there should be economic integration,” he stated.

Vlad Biletski, head of the Public Association “Honor, Dignity and Homeland”, stated that the national ideal of unionism is to reunite Moldova and Romania so that there was a big state that would dictate its interests. “There is really no conflict in the country. The conflicts are created artificially at the upper level, including in the Transnistrian region, so as to keep the Republic of Moldova hostage and this could not reunite with Romania. Only the country’s sovereignty will be affected after the union. The other things will remain. Nobody will take our land from us. The people will not be deported and no other disseminated aberrations will be witnessed,” he said.

Film director Sergiu Prodan, who expressed the opinion of the current of ‘nostalgic people’, but of which he does not form part, said that during 25 years he has seen the same permanent nostalgia. Someone is nostalgic for the USSR, while others are nostalgic for the Great Romania, but nostalgia is a human state that should be encouraged in parts. “I think that 25 years are enough for making society aware of the country idea and of the political and social project. Those 36% that want back in the USSR are disappointed persons who could not be motivated by this idea. In these 25 years of statehood, we didn’t manage to give a clear meaning to our existence as an independent state,” he stated.

Igor Botan, the project’s permanent expert, said that Romania’s Constitution does not contain an article about the union with other territories, such as the Republic of Moldova, but the Constitutions of Russia and Germany, for example, include such provisions. Romania is a NATO member state that cannot unite with a country that does not control its territory. Neither Romania nor Moldova has political elite that really want the union, while the unionists in Moldova do not act properly. The expert called on those who support unionism to go directly to the ‘coordinator of the government coalition’ Vlad Plahotniuc, who is the first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, to speak to him about the union because they will achieve greater results in this process this way.

Mihail Lupashko, coordinator of the Public Dialogue Platform “Statehood – Moldova”, said it is for the first time that the representatives of a number of movements were brought together in such a format to speak about diametrically opposed ideas. “Only such discussions will help us overcome misunderstandings. I don’t think that we must ban a part of society from stating their opinion. The dialogue should be yet peaceful. We must exclude those who speculate on fear, who come to power, form coalitions and contribute to greater poverty in the country,” he stated.

The Agency published 6 news stories on the debate (see the English version of www.ipn.md): on 29.08.16, “Unionists, statehood supporters and ‘nostalgic people’: confrontation of ideas. IPN debate” - http://www.ipn.md/en/special/78620; “Vlad Biletski: It is the people who should make a decision on union” - http://www.ipn.md/en/special/78622; “Moldova needs economic relations with all partners, Emil Ciobu” - http://www.ipn.md/en/integrare-europeana/78623; “Mihail Lupashko: All parts of society must be able to state opinion, but at peaceful dialogue” - http://www.ipn.md/en/special/78624; “Sergiu Prodan: Those who are nostalgic for USSR are actually disappointed” - http://www.ipn.md/en/special/78625; “Igor Botan: Union with Romania is wanted neither by Bucharest nor Chisinau or by great powers” – http://www.ipn.md/en/special/78626.  


Valeriu Vasilica, director of IPN