Culture Minister Gheorghiu: Vote in Republic of Moldova brings country closer to EU

Culture Minister Bogdan Gheorghiu said, on Monday, that the vote Moldovans gave on Sunday in the snap parliamentary elections brings the Republic of Moldova much closer to the European Union.

"The vote on Sunday means a deeper closeness because in the current geopolitical context it's hard to resume the old thesis with the union of Bessarabia and Romania. An integration of both countries into the European Union would bring us closer to this dream. Whereas the vote given in the Republic of Moldova certainly brings Moldova much closer to the European Union. The fact that Moldovans - and I understand even those of Russian and Ukrainian ethnicity - gave a vote to the European path means a lot relating to what the people there understood, relating to the right path of a people," said, at public broadcaster TVR 1, Bogdan Gheorghiu.

In this context, the Culture Minister emphasized that the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) in Chisinau should become more active.

"We had several meetings with several delegations from the Republic of Moldova and learned with surprise that only 10 pct of the books in the libraries there are in Romanian. Or, maybe that's where we should start. We have an ICR in Chisinau which needs better activation than until now. We have a new power in Chisinau who chose this pro-European path. Over time bridges of flowers have been built, but maybe we should make that highly-discussed motorway and, of course, those energy mainlines that certainly would connect us in several areas a bit more pragmatic, not only in those relating to our joint identity," minister Bogdan Gheorghiu added.