CHIŞINĂU (Imedia) - Veterans from the Romanian Army and the Soviet Army, who fought against each other during World War II, have been invited by authorities to attend May 9 celebrations together, which is considered to be a victory day against fascism.  

"No war has ever begun at the order of citizens, but at the order of those who have wanted to install dictatorships and to expand territories. This was the war between the two dictators," said interim President Mihai Ghimpu during a festive meeting at the military memorial in Chisinau. 

Mr. Ghimpu expressed his regret that in Moldova „the victory over fascism was not complete, but the defeat of this fascist plague in Europe was a very good thing."

Mr. Ghimpu argued that the victory over fascism was good for all veterans, no matter what army they fought for.

„You are the veterans of a war of injustice. You were taken out of your homes, they put weapons in your hands, to men in both armies," Mr. Ghimpu stressed.

The interim President noted that he would like to equalize veterans from both armies and expressed his hope that May 9, 2010 become a „day of reconciliation." 

„My predecessors treated some of you like patriots and others like enemies. I would like for there not to be any enmity between you anymore. I bow in front of every veteran, not only in front of some," Mr. Ghimpu said during a ceremony to give veterans from both armies a commemorative cross.

Mr. Ghimpu spoke both in Romanian and Russian. At one point, when he said that „World War II was a war between two dictators," a few citizens, including veterans, began to heckle him.

The Party of Communists celebrated May 9 separately. They organized a march in downtown Chisinau, chanted „Moldova!" and „Victory," and sang Russian wartime songs.

Communist head Vladimir Voronin said that the PC cannot celebrate May 9 next to people who thought they lost World War II.

He was referring to a previous statement by Mr. Ghimpu, who said that Moldova had a lot to lose after World War II because it was occupied by the Soviets.

"That is why we decided to celebrate as winners, not as the defeated," Mr. Voronin added.

Commentary:

Bogdan Tirdea: Mr. Ghimpu's statements compromise him as a politician and insult the memory of millions of people who sacrificed themselves

Bogdan Tirdea, program director with Russian Prizanie Foundation, believes that Mr. Ghimpu's statements „reduce World War II, which involved a few dozen states and during which about 60 million people died, to an argument between two dictators."

„This seems at least contestable, if not unacceptable. There were a number of factors - political, economic, and social - that caused this war. In my opinion, this war was inevitable and would have happened without Stalin and Hitler. Mr. Ghimpu's statements compromise him as a politician and insult the memory of millions of people who sacrificed themselves. They deserve to be treated in a more balanced way instead of being told that they were mere tools in the hand of some dictators. In that situation, I wonder what Churchill, Roosevelt, and others, were doing in the war," Mr. Tirdea adds.

Mr. Tirdea argues that „on the other hand, I agree with Mr. Ghimpu's attempt to reconcile the two sides of veterans."

„I call them sides because there is no peace, social cohesion, and mutual respect between the two camps. It is regrettable, however, that when this attempt was planned and when the commemorative medals were put together, public opinion should have been consulted and the veterans should have been prepared. But many of them did not appreciate this attempt fully. Unfortunately, because his advisors are too weak, the positive initiatives that the interim President launches are not used as much as they could be," Mr. Tirdea concludes.

Anatol Taranu: Authorities had a very pragmatic approach to May 9, in the style of a truly pro-European Government

Anatol Taranu, a political analyst, thinks that „authorities had a very pragmatic approach to May 9, in the style of a truly pro-European Government."

„They had a call to finally leave the trenches of the Second World War and to bring to the country and the people in this country some ideas that are more important than history. The leadership has honored its obligations during May 9 as a victory day on fascism, and has, at the same time, mentioned another important meaning of the date - Europe Day. The fact that the message was addressed to those who fought on both sides of the front is very important for Moldova and for our society. The Government is trying to come up with a new approach, a European approach to events that have, until now, been treated unilaterally, in the style of Soviet ideology and historiography. From this standpoint, the message of the authorities need to be appreciated at the highest level. At the same time, I am surprised by the fact that some people did not accept this message. In a society that lived for decades in a space of Soviet propaganda, that is unsurprising," Mr. Taranu adds.

„From an electoral standpoint, we can also understand what happened," Mr. Taranu explains.

„Authorities have mostly directed their message to the electorate that votes for liberal and national parties. The fact that there are some people who were mad that the current authorities have given up on old politics should not be bothersome for the Alliance for European Integration (AEI). For the most part, that electoral segment does not vote with the liberals. The authorities tried to send a message to the young generation, to educate them in the spirit of some European values that are different from the values promoted by the Soviets and which deserve to be taken into consideration," Mr. Taranu concludes.

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Mihai Ghimpu was initially planning to visit Moscow on May 9 to attend the city's parade celebrating 65 years since the Soviet Union's victory.

Moldovan military staff were going to stay at home.

This decision initially caused heated debates within the AEI.

Mr. Ghimpu finally decided to only attend the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States on May 8 and to come home on May 9.

Moldovan soldiers ultimately decided to attend the parade in the Russian capital.