Dozens of people came on Saturday to lay flowers at the Grieving Mother Memorial Complex and commemorate those who fought to defend the independence and integrity of the country in the Nistru armed conflict. “By keeping alive the memory of the Nistru battles of 1992, we solemnly undertake to never allow a repeat of that tragedy. And even if there are still forces trying to sow distrust and discord between us, I say it loud and clear - they will not succeed, neither now nor in the future,” President Maia Sandu said at the commemoration event, IPN reports.
The official came to lay flowers together with Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu. She noted that in the Republic of Moldova, every beginning of spring is overshadowed by the painful memory of a terrible armed conflict that claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed thousands of other destinies. “On the Day of Remembrance and Gratitude, we are talking about the wounded and crippled, the children who were orphaned, the widows who lost their husbands or the parents who had to bury, before time, their sons who sacrificed their lives for the homeland – the Republic of Moldova.
“We bow down to the heroes of those days and weeks when the peace and harmony on our land were shaken by the deafening sound of bullets and shells. They say that time heals wounds. But our society still has a deep wound, which the mere passage of time cannot heal,” noted Maia Sandu.
The official also said that the people from both banks of the Nistru have nothing to share. Whether they live in Chisinau or Tiraspol, Balti or Tighina, Comrat or Taraclia, the people of Moldova value peace and freedom more than ever.
“The Republic of Moldova is today at a turning point. The decision to open accession negotiations with the European Union represents for our country a historic chance to unite, all of us, around a country project that will ensure a future in peace and prosperity for the people from both banks of the Nistru – regardless of the language they speak or the community to which they belong,” stated President Sandu.
Today, March 2, marks 32 years since the beginning of the armed conflict to defend the integrity and independence of the Republic of Moldova. In the Nistru War of the spring-summer of 1992, about 300 combatants and over 400 civilians were killed and several hundred people were wounded. The ceasefire agreement was signed on July 21, 1992 by the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation.