ROMANIA-MOLDOVA Supporters of Moldova’s union with Romania march in Bucharest

Record ID: 147249

  • Title: ROMANIA-MOLDOVA Supporters of Moldova’s union with Romania march in Bucharest
  • Date: 13th July 2015
  • Summary: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (JULY 12, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MOLDOVAN PROTESTERS MEETING ROMANIAN PROTESTERS IN CITY CENTRE HAND HOLDING FLOWERS AND MOLDOVAN FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (Romanian) CHISINAU (MOLDOVA) RESIDENT, PAVEL PRUTEANU, SAYING: "We walked approximately 150 kilometres with the idea to bring unity (between Romania and Moldova). We believe in this initiative, it will ha
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2VWIA589FJJGS0L3PCLCGXCEN
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Around 1,000 people completed a week-long march from Moldova to Romania on Sunday (July 12), calling on the Romanian government to speed reunification of the two countries.
    Setting off from Moldovan capital Chisinau on July 5, the participants in the Stephen the Great March - named after a fifteenth-century Moldovan ruler - marched into Bucharest carrying Romanian and Moldovan flags and shouting unity slogans.
    They were greeted by several hundred Romanian citizens in University Square in the city centre before making their way to the presidential palace to call on Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to support the unification project.
    "We walked approximately 150 kilometres with the idea to bring unity (between Romania and Moldova). We believe in this initiative, it will happen very soon. We will win and we will obtain what we want so much," a marcher from Chisinau, Pavel Pruteanu, said.
    Another marcher from the Romanian border town Baia Mare was also in favour of unification.
    "For me unity means a common future, in the same country, as it should be for the same nation," Vlad Dinguta said.
    The two countries have a long and intertwined history. Part of Tsarist Russia for a century, Moldova joined what was known as Greater Romania after the First World War but was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940.
    The division of Europe during the Cold War meant many friends and families were thus separated until the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. Moldovans and Romanians called for a relaxation of the border controls with two huge demonstrations in 1990 and 1991 known as the "Flowers Bridge" demonstrations, when people from both sides gathered on the banks of the River Prut and threw flowers into the river, with many crossing the border. The famous protest was recreated by this year's marchers on Saturday (July 11) when hundreds of people crossed the bridge on the River Prut.
    They then travelled on to the Romanian capital to round off the protest.
    In Moldova, the unionist trend is represented by the youth movement Young Moldova (Tinerii Moldovei), who also oppose a "divided and corrupt" society, according to their website.
    Their leader, Anoatol Ursu, spoke to the crowds gathered in Bucharest.
    "We are those who will bring unity to the Romanian nation," he said.
    Moldova is now split between a Romanian-speaking majority and the breakaway region Transdniestria, propped up by Russia in one of a series of "frozen conflicts" that have kept separatist regions in several former Soviet republics under Moscow's wing.
    Wary of Russian intentions after Ukraine lost control of Crimea and much of its east to Russian-backed forces last year, Romania is trying to bring Moldova towards the European Union with sweeteners such as cheaper gas supplies, closer trade ties and even emergency ambulance services.
    These soft power moves have been warmly welcomed by impoverished Moldova's young pro-European government.
    However, only a fraction of MPs openly support reunification and the country's large number of left-leaning voters also oppose closer ties with the EU.
    Moscow has warned Moldova that its drive for closer ties to Europe could cause it to lose control of Transdniestria for good, just as Ukraine lost Crimea, and lead to more costly gas from Russia, its main supplier.
    The Romanian government is unapologetic, saying even though it sees Russia as a serious security threat, it will step up a battle that is, for now, economic rather than military.
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