The press affiliated to the Party of Socialists (PSRM) distributed on February 2 a message by the leader of the Socialists Igor Dodon on the occasion of the Moldovan Statehood Day, although in the Republic of Moldova there is no such official holiday. This initiative to establish the Moldovan Statehood Day dates back to 2017, when Igor Dodon was President of the Republic of Moldova, and derives from the Moldovan-statist ideology, according to which there is a Moldovan people different from the Romanian one and also that the Republic of Moldova is the successor of Stephen the Great’s Moldavia.
NEWS: “Today, our country marks the 662nd anniversary of Moldovan statehood. On this occasion, the president of PSRM, Igor Dodon, sent a congratulatory message. “On February 2, 1365, King Louis I of Hungary signed an act recognizing the independence of Moldavia, which was founded in 1359. Bogdan I, who started people’s fight for independence, was recognized as Ruler of Moldavia. Our country has faced many challenges, has recorded successes and failures, but the page of glory in the history of Moldova is the reign of almost half a century of Stephen the Great and Saint, of which we’ve been proud till this very day. We are obliged to preserve the memory and respect the history of Moldova, so that the current and future generations can protect and strengthen our country. Happy birthday, Moldova", wrote Igor Dodon on his Telegram channel.
A message on the same occasion was also given by the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Zinaida Greceanii, who is also a member of the Party of Socialists: “662 years ago, Moldavia was recognized as an independent state. It is our duty to honor the memory of the founders and defenders of Moldovan statehood, including the first ruler of Moldavia, Bogdan I. Years and centuries of consolidation of statehood followed, a process that included great challenges and threats. The invaluable contribution to the strengthening of the state of Moldova was that of the most important Prince of Moldavia - Stephen the Great and Saint, protector of our Christian faith. I am convinced that the day of February 2 is of great importance for the history of our country. The historical truth about the events related to this date must be well known first of all to ourselves. We have our holy heroes, we have an independent state, we must have pride and respect for these values, so that we can look forward with dignity”.
NARRATIVE: The Republic of Moldova is the successor state of the medieval principality of Moldavia.
CONTEXT: The identity issue, along with the ‘Moldovanist’ and statist trend, has been artificially maintained by Moldovan politicians during the three decades since the declaration of independence in 1991. The Republic of Moldova is the successor of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, created in 1940 by the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, following the annexation of Bessarabia. For almost half a century, the USSR tried to build a different Moldovan nation and identity from the Romanian one, and after 1991, the idea of ‘Moldovanism’ was promoted by Kremlin-backed politicians.
This narrative is doubled by the concept of "statehood", "multiethnic state" and the myths that the Republic of Moldova is part of the "Russian world" and that Russian deserves the status of official language. All these ideas, as well as secessionism in the Transnistrian and Gagauz regions, are supported through various strategies by the Russian Federation, including direct funding of parties loyal to the Kremlin.
Igor Dodon's initiative to celebrate Moldovan statehood dates back to 2017. Then, Igor Dodon, who was the head of state, proposed that February 2 be declared an official holiday marking the "statehood" of Moldova. The consolidation of Moldovan statehood and identity was promoted by Dodon during his term as president, as we can see in the REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA ON 18 MONTHS OF ACTIVITY, IN DETAIL. The Draft Decision on the establishment of February 2 as Moldova’s Statehood Day was drawn up, along with the establishment of the historical flag of Moldova as a national symbol. Igor Dodon promoted the introduction of the HISTORY OF MOLDOVA in the SCHOOL CURRICULUM, and he also made a documentary titled "HISTORY OF MOLDOVA". Also, according to the same report, the Presidential Institution drafted a law banning unionism in all its forms, including those political parties or non-governmental organizations "advocating for the liquidation of statehood."
These initiatives can be found in the Program of the Party of Socialists: “PSRM pleads for the Moldovan statehood and national identity. The party will make every effort to strengthen the Moldovan national identity, to educate young people in the spirit of patriotism and interethnic understanding, respect for history, culture, spiritual values, family traditions of the Moldovan people”.
Moldovenism includes claims, but which have not been sharply expressed, in the form of a political program, by Moldova in Romania, a territory that represents, practically, the heart of the principality of Stephen the Great, home to the princely court, the most important monasteries and localities of Medieval Moldavia, as well as the tomb of the ruler. It is worth mentioning, in this context, the fact that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, gave Igor Dodon a map of Moldova from the end of the 18th century, which includes a part of the current territory of Romania
In December 2020, the PSRM deputies together with the parliamentarians affiliated to the fugitive Ilan Şor voted a law that gave a special status to the Russian language in the Republic of Moldova. The Constitutional Court found it inconsistent with the fundamental act, and in response the Socialists tried to incite national minorities by organizing rallies in support of the Russian language.
OBJECTIVE: Such messages and actions are launched by PSRM in order to promote the Moldovanist trend, to undermine the Romanian identity in the Republic of Moldova, as well as to maintain in society an atmosphere
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