«OLVIA–PRESS»
ON AUGUST 1ST Dniestria CELEBRATED
THE DAY OF
COMMEMORATING THE DEFENDERS OF THE REPUBLIC ON AUGUST 1ST Dniestria
CELEBRATED
THE DAY OF
COMMEMORATING THE DEFENDERS OF THE REPUBLIC
Mourning meetings and laying of flowers on graves of died defenders of the Dniester Moldavian Republic took place in all towns and districts of the republic.
In the capital of the republic – in the town of Tiraspol – to the
Memorial of Glory there arrived the authority of the state: the President Igor
Smirnov, and the Supreme Council Chairman Grigory Marakutsa, as well as the
members of the Ministers’ Cabinet, representatives of public associations,
labor collectives, deputies, governors of the town, and relatives and acquaintances
of the died defenders. The presence at the meeting of kids from children’s
institutions, who were born after the war, was touching and somehow symbolic.
The head of Tiraspol town administration Viktor Kostyrko opened the
meeting. The representatives of the Union of Defenders of the Dniester
Moldavian Republic, Women’s movement “Tiraspolchanka”, the Association
“Pamiati” (Memory) had speeches the leitmotiv of which was the idea that we all
who live here should maintain peace in our land and never forget the price paid
for that.
The speech of Igor N. Smirnov was bright and emotional. The President of
the Dniester Moldavian Republic remarked the strength, courage, and unity of
the Dniestrian people who, living in difficult times, had to take weapons in
his arms in order to protect his house, his family, and his land. Hundreds of
the best sons and daughters of the republic gave their lives for our freedom,
for the right of living in their land, and speak their native language. And
these achieved values should be maintained and kept.
Concerning the external political situation, the President remarked that
the Western countries and international organizations had been lately
expressing high interest towards Dniestria. The representatives of the Council
of Europe, OSCE, USA, and EU more often come to Tiraspol. All of them
understand and support the position of Tiraspol that settlement cannot be
reached within frames of the unitary Moldova. The concept of federalization
proposed at the Kiev meeting of plenipotentiary representatives of the parties
is a confirmation of that.
Igor Smirnov said that we saw it in form of association of the two
states – the RM and DMR, where each state would have the status of an
independent, and their interrelationship on a conventional basis. The domain of
common authority is should be determined by both sides.
At the same time Igor Smirnov remarked that the communist government of
Moldova persistently intends to worsen the live of population of Dniestria.
Artificially impeding the economic activity of Dniestria, Voronin does not
conceal that his main goal is to take away the industrial enterprises of
Dniestria.
As Igor Smirnov said, “In 1990s, they wanted to drive us out of our
houses, and now they want to remove us from our plants and factories. We do not
encroach on other’s goods, and we won’t give ours. Everyone should live by
means of his labor”.
Concerning the process of negotiating with Moldova, the President
confirmed devotion to the quanta-lateral format of the negotiation process, and
to the equal dialogue.
Addressing the people present at the meeting, Igor Smirnov assured all
of them that the state would always take care of families of the died defenders
of Dniestria, and the memory about their exploits would eternally live in our
hearts.
Translated by Ernest A. Vardanean.