Moldovan parliament rules: the national language is Romanian

Euractiv ^ | 17 March 2023 | Euractiv

[Cronos]

Moldova’s parliament on Thursday (16 March) approved a law on referring to the national language as Romanian in all legislative texts and the constitution, despite opposition from a pro-Moscow communist party.

The move is intended to resolve a heated dispute over whether the national language should be referred to as Romanian or Moldovan.

The constitution currently refers to the national language as Moldovan, but Moldova’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union stipulated that Romanian is the official language.

Moldova’s governing PAS party proposed the draft law to bring the constitution into line with a constitutional court ruling in 2013 that the declaration of independence takes precedence over the constitution.

Some Moldovans see the potential change as righting what they regard as a wrong done when the Soviet Union sought to impose the notion of a Moldovan language written in Cyrillic to reinforce the Moldovan identity.

[Cronos]

In the secret protocol attached to the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact defining the division of the spheres of influence in Eastern Europe, Nazi Germany declared it had no political interest in Bessarabia, in response to the Soviet Union's expression of interest, thereby consigning Bessarabia to the Soviet "sphere". On June 26, 1940 the Soviet government issued an ultimatum to the Romanian minister in Moscow, demanding Romania immediately cede Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. Italy and Germany, which needed a stable Romania and access to its oil fields, urged King Carol II to do so. On June 28, Soviet troops crossed the Dniester and occupied Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region.

The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (Moldavian SSR), established on August 2, 1940, consisted of six and a half counties of Bessarabia joined with the westernmost part of the already extant MASSR (an autonomous entity within the Ukrainian SSR).

[nwrep]

troops crossed the Dniester and occupied Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region.

Sounds like the kind of make-believe names one finds in fantasy stories or Wes Anderson movies. After occupying those, they moved to Eastern Morangaralia and Upper Blochavia.

[jimtorr]

You would be right about what sounds like odd. made-up names to us, unless you look at the history of the region, and then it makes more sense. There have been many nations and kingdoms throughout Eastern Europe, from which these unknown (to us) names come from.

[buwaya]

They seem odd to anyone but the locals.

When I was young I thought that Baton Rouge and Calaveras County were just funny names Sam Clemens thought up.

But then, many years later, I found myself in Baton Rouge and Calaveras County.

BTW, a distant ancestor of ours died fighting Catherine the Greats armies at Bender, Moldavia. Amazing what genealogical research can turn up.

[AZJeep]

Since the fall of Soviet Union, I am wondering why Moldova did not rejoin Romania? It would make the people lives a lot better.
The only explanation, I think, is that few government workers are worrying about their jobs.

[Cronos]

As I understand from Romanian friends, Romania can’t really initiate any move towards reunification because the same Treaty of Paris from 1947 that protects the Western border of Romania also prevents Romania from initiating reunion with Moldova.

And the politicians were, as you pointed out, worried about their jobs

[Jacob Kell]

Yes, the damn Treaty confirmed the loss of Bessarabia to the Soviet Union...but the thing is, the Soviet Union ceased to exist.