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Moldovan premier's speech given in Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia on 19 August 2015

13:26 | 19.08.2015 Category: Official

”Greetings!

First of all, let me greet the governor of the Gagauz Autonomy, Mrs. Irina Vlah, the president of the People's Assembly, Mr. Constantinov, ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions and all those present.

In the beginning, I would like to shortly express my vision of my participation in today's event, as the prime minister of Moldova, given that, till now, Chisinau official leadership representatives avoided to accept invitations of this kind. Yet, despite of doubts and various pieces of advice with regard to my participation in this event, I am here with you today. My purpose is to express my opinion on a number of important and principled issues.

The today's date is not a simple one in the history of Moldova. So far, the events of August 1990 have been perceived  quite contradictory  and even emotionally. In Chisinau and Comrat ,there are different views on the events of that period and this is understandable. Some believe that the events took place under the banner of the struggle for freedom and self-determination, while others see them as an act of disintegration of the country, division and chaos.

Back then, during the demise of the Soviet Union, a few were aware of what was happening and, more importantly, what that would lead to. Neither Gorbachev, nor the new leadership in Chisinau, or southern Moldova residents could have guessed. I am convinced that time has come to draw the line, not to blame each other for the mistakes of the past and build our rule of law, democratic state - Moldova –together. The state in which we will all be united as citizens of this country. We are all in the same boat, that cannot go in more directions simultaneously. We must learn to live with our own mind and carefully consider all types of suggestions and advice received from elsewhere. Against the background of the tragic events in neighbouring Ukraine, we have to realise what risks there are for Moldova and think about peace, stability and mutual understanding in our country.

Much has been said and written about the events of that period. I will not go into historical details. I believe it is more useful to look at those times and the years that followed from the position of a statesman, an official who is responsible for the integrity of the country, its economic development and solving social problems.

Despite the enormous tensions that existed in society at that time, the efforts to resolve the situation emerged around Gagauzia have achieved their result. I do not think I exaggerate when I say that the development and adoption of the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia, which was the basis for the Gagauz autonomy, has become a kind of a maturity test for Moldova to implement and observe democratic principles and standards.

In this respect, I would like to point out an important principle. In our past, but especially nowadays, there are much more positive things that unite us. At the same time, we must not forget the dramatic moments of our history. In this case, our goal should reside in drawing conclusions. Anything that serves as a unifying element should be backed and developed.

Dear friends!

To develop and successfully progress, we must look into the future with confidence. And our common future is within a sovereign and independent state - Moldova. Our society is multi-ethnic and many of us have different ethnic roots - Moldovan, Gagauz, Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian and others. But there is something that unites us - we live in Moldova and we are citizens of this country. One of the objectives of the government is the harmonious integration of national minorities in the Moldovan society, at the same time, preserving and respecting their culture, identity, traditions and languages.

 

 

For us, it is important that representatives of all ethnic groups who live in Moldova feel comfortably. And this tendency ought to come from both sides. The state should create conditions for the active participation of the ethnic communities in the public and political life of the country, and the national minorities – show interest, feel part of the community and, what is very important, know the state language. In this context, I welcome the recent launch of a project on parallel studying of the state language and the Gagauz one in the Autonomy. This project is implemented by the non-governmental organisation ANTEM. And the government is set to contribute to this end. Thus, the Moldovan Education Ministry worked out proposals on the inclusion of optional courses of studying the Gagauz language and history in the syllabi.   

Getting back to the political aspect, I want to stress the fact that the Gagauz Autonomy is an integral part of Moldova. In this respect, we consider that Gagauzia should be actively involved in all the processes of European modernisation, reformation and development, which are enforced all over the country.  

At the same time, Gagauzia has a status of Autonomy, laid down in the Constitution and the Law from 1994. The special juridical status of Gagauzia is a legal guarantee of the fact that this region will always have a special place in Moldova. The powers given to Gagauzia, in line with its status of autonomy, must be observed and their potential is to be turned to good account. The Moldovan government works to this end and will analyze in detail and counteract any infringements of the law in this respect.

Opinions exist that there are difficulties between Comrat and the Chisinau central authorities. I think that, in such situations, emphasis should be put not so much on the present problems, as on their settlement. There are enough platforms for dialogue, which have not been fully turned to account. The governor of Gagauzia is a member of Moldova’s government and has sufficient possibilities for the Autonomy’s opinion to be heard and taken into account in the decision-making process. I am glad that we have a constructive and pragmatic cooperation with Mrs. Irina Vlah.    

I should like to mention just several priority sectors. Improving the infrastructure, roads’ construction, supply with qualitative drinking water, construction of water supply and sewerage systems are among our priorities and we will pay them increased attention. We should jointly help agricultural producers find new sales markets, though special projects carried out with the financial support of our partners from the European Union and other development partners. Also, we will  promote regional development and tourism in Gagauzia. There are many opportunities for the region’s development; yet, to be successful, we must act together and cooperate to this end.  

The government pays special attention to health. In Gagauzia, as well as all over the country, significant resources are being invested to modernize medical institutions. The fact that, after such efforts, the region’s residents still do not benefit from quality medical assistance is surprising. I want to say that, following  my recent visit to Comrat, the needed funds to complete the works on reconstruction of the surgery block of  the Comrat regional hospital have been found. We have also transferred a sum due to be paid by National Health Insurances Company and worked out a government decision to additionally earmark 800,000 lei from the government’s reserve fund. Thus, in the near future, we will witness the so much needed and expected completion of the concerned project, in order to provide our citizens with modern and high-quality medical services.   

But as a general approach, I want to emphasize one of the most important goals of the government - the regional development of Moldova, including the one of Gagauzia. We believe it is important to adopt a special programme for the development of Gagauzia. Presently, the working group for this programme is being set up, with the participation of representatives of the State Chancellery, ministries, Academy of Sciences and higher education institutions. We expect the effective participation and active involvement of the relevant institutions from Gagauzia.

Furthermore, I am confident that, this autumn, the Moldovan parliament will adopt a decision on the establishment of the working group for cooperation with the People's Assembly of Gagauzia. This will help optimise the legislative process and better integrate the powers of Gagauzia. In this regard, I urge the members of the People's Assembly to more actively submit legislative initiatives on up-to-date issues of the autonomy to the Moldovan parliament.

A great woman and politician, Golda Meir, said: "A nation cannot build its future, if it forgets the past. But to live, thinking only about the past, is impossible. All the energy, all the skills should be invested in the future". These are words of wisdom. And I came to Comrat, to tell you that one cannot live only thinking about the past, we must not live our lives with misconceptions and myths. I urge you to turn this page; begin to write a new history, the history of the creation and development of Gagauzia. Let us build the future together!

Twenty five years ago, we were on the verge of a split. But we had the wisdom and will to move further from the brink. After several years, within the legal field, we found a solution; we adopted Gagauzia’s autonomy status within Moldova. There are politicians in Chisinau saying: "Many rights have been conferred". There are politicians in Comrat who believe that "Few rights were given". My opinion is as follows. This is an unproductive dispute. We should not be talking about it at present. Let us begin the discussion about how we can make people's lives better, how to create new jobs, increase pensions and salaries, improve the situation in education and health, build new better roads, repair old ones, ensure a decent life for the elderly and give the young generation a chance for a better future. And along the way, we will agree on what rights and how many rights we need...

In conclusion, I want to stress once again the main point of my speech. The Moldovan government is interested in the economic development of the Gagauz Autonomy and for its residents to feel good. And for the welfare of Gagauzia, it is important that the entire country is peaceful. We must work towards developing Moldova to consolidate peace, prosperity, harmony and mutual respect. All the complex issues should be resolved through consultations. If we involve in dialogue pragmatically, without turning it into a political issue, relying on the real needs of our residents and observance of the country's laws - I am convinced that we will move forward in solving many problems and coping with any challenge.

Thank you for your attention!”

(Editor L. Alcaza)

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