Moldova marks the 19th anniversary of its declaration of independence today. The event was opened by ceremonies of laying flowers at the Chisinau-based monument to the Moldovan medieval ruler Stefan cel Mare.
Participating in the event were acting President and Parliament Speaker Mihai Ghimpu, prime Minister Vlad Filat, Moldova's first President Mircea Snegur, MPs, members of the Cabinet of Ministers and diplomats accredited in Chisinau, as well as members of the association Parliament 90.
Ghimpu told journalists that "Moldova covered a difficult path to independence as there were some fighting for Moldova to be a free country, whereas others wanted to keep it within the USSR". Ghimpu said he was proud of the fact that Moldova was an independent state, but added that he was discontent because some reforms launched in the 1990s were not implemented completely. "Independence should bring about welfare," Ghimpu added.
For his part, MIrcea Snegur said that "in its 19 years of independence, Moldova consolidated itself as a democratic state based on the rule of law, which promotes market economy". "To a large extent, the goals set in the Declaration of Independence, are coming true little by little. The biggest drawback resides in the fact that the pace of economic reforms has slowed down and social problems cannot be solved in full," he said.
The officials also laid flowers at the monument Grieving Mother at the memorial venue Eternity in Chisinau.
Similar events took place all over Moldova.
Moldpres