On June 1, 2023, on Children’s Day, the Republic of Moldova will host the second Summit of the European Political Community – the new platform for political coordination between European countries.
On June 1, 47 European leaders will come to Moldova, and over 700 million citizens of the European continent will be watching us.
June 1, 2023, is the day that will change the destiny of the Republic of Moldova. It is the day that will transform us from an ex-Soviet country into a European country. The day that will propel Moldova into another dimension of political, economic, and social processes. It is the day when our society must understand that Moldova is not a “planet”, but is part of the European community and civilization.
The day when European leaders will become even more determined in their desire and willingness to accept Moldova in the EU. It is the day when every citizen and institution of the state must put in maximum effort so that everything is as good as possible, or at least perfect.
There are 3 elements of major importance that must be understood by our citizens:
- It is a great opportunity for Moldova;
- Good organization = capacity and responsibility;
- What impressions and perceptions will the European leaders and the more than 1000 foreign journalists leave with?
Opportunity is like career luck – being in the right place at the right time and confirming ability and responsibility.
The Republic of Moldova has the honor and responsibility to organize the second Summit – not the 10th, not the 32nd, not the 47th, but the 2nd – a sign of great trust, support, and interest towards Our country.
We do not know if any Declaration or any official document will be adopted as a result of the Summit, but the discussions will generate important solutions and decisions for the old continent, for regional and bilateral relations between countries. All this will happen here, at our house. European leaders will operate with “We discussed in Moldova”; “We agreed in Moldova”; “We decided in Moldova”.
On June 1, the Republic of Moldova will become the center of Europe!
The great responsibility we have as a society and state is to show that we are capable to do it, even though we have too little money and resources – we are united by cultural wealth, tolerance, the desire to innovate, to produce, to learn, to be European.
We have seen criticism and attacks concerning the organization of the Summit in Moldova. They all come from the political area. And this is not about society. We have a smart, tolerant, and inclusive society. But it is ruined by the politicians, who, lacking the courage to appreciate valuable actions for the country, does almost everything to divide people according to nationality, language, and visions.
I reiterate my position: from the mid-90s onwards (with small exceptions) politics is the biggest problem of Moldova. Because of small thinking and casual interests, politics has spoiled too many and we are dealing with the solution to old, stale problems, instead of building the future, instead of uniting us through the diversity we represent, through the desire to live better and to build a safe, sustainable and prosperous country. And “dear” politicians, yesterday doesn’t matter anymore, it’s important what we do today and what we think about tomorrow. The politician can only have two major priorities – the citizens and the country, and he must do everything for them: the strong country, and the satisfied and happy citizens.
Of course, the Summit will create inconvenience, of course, there will be no scheduled flights that day, and of course, there will be a lot of police, traffic jams, and restrictions. Few will understand that it is shameful that we cannot organize this Summit in the Capital, but, objectively speaking, in Chisinau there is no location and sufficient infrastructure for such a large-scale event. That’s why the solution for organizing the Summit at Mimi Castle is an ingenious and very good one. The delegations will depart directly from the airport to the Castle and there will be minimal disturbance for all.
Chisinau will be affected anyway because some delegations will arrive a day before. We will need a lot of patience, understanding, and willingness to smile, to answer questions, to explain to the disaffected that everything is being done for all of us, including them – who already do not need a visa to travel to Europe, who unknowingly benefit from the results of multiple infrastructure development projects and more, and all these benefits will multiply in the coming years.
Of course, there will be mistakes and there will be reasons to laugh at some possible awkwardness. However, I urge you all to show the best and most beautiful things we have in our homeland. Let’s be welcoming hospitalities and with all the modesty that characterizes us, let’s give all the foreigners who come to the Summit the chance to discover our culture, education, wines, cuisine, kindness, and the responsibility of being serious partners. This must happen in any interaction of foreigners with Moldova – from landing to take-off.
The residents of Bulboaca must be aware that on June 1 – they are Moldova, Bulboaca is Moldova, and they will represent Moldova in the qualification for the European Union. Chisinau and the towns on the route leading to MiMi Castle have the same task. Not only Maia Sandu and the Government are responsible for good organization. It is our common responsibility – mayors and citizens, hotels and restaurants, drivers and pedestrians… We are all Moldova. And at Summit and all the time.
This Summit will divide the history of Moldova into “before” and “after”
I really hope that the Summit will be a moment of awareness and lucidity, in which even more people will understand that our country’s project must become – Reinventing Moldova. They will understand that we must focus our efforts and resources on the construction of the Republic of Moldova on January 1, 2030, when a new Republic will begin. It will be a result of revolution and innovation in the approach to all fields and subjects that target us as a country and a people.
There is neither much nor little time until 2030, but it is certainly enough to think and build the Republic of Moldova – a European country, part of European civilization.
Especially since we are not starting from scratch. We are a country integrated with international organizations and have the status of an EU Associated country. We have something to be proud of. … people, wine, innovations, culture … regardless of whether we are talking about Moldovans, Romanians, Ukrainians, Russians, Gagauz, Bulgarians … all who were born or chose to live here and contribute to the development of our Motherland – the Republic of Moldova.
Our country project must be the Republic of Moldova itself, a democratic, European country with happy and innovative people.
Many European countries have achieved a lot because they quickly realized that they needed to get rid of the Soviet past. There can be no other solution than unity with the European Union. Democracy in the EU is real, not just declarative. In these countries, people are the greatest value for the state. And education is the main solution to many problems, including for the new Republic of Moldova.