President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, participated today in the National Scientific Conference “9 May: Commemoration, Reconciliation and European Unity,” organized by the Ministry of Education and Research. The event, held at the Maria Bieșu National Opera and Ballet Theatre, brought together researchers, history and social sciences teachers, school directors, students, and members of the diplomatic corps.

In her address, the Head of State emphasized the importance of a culture of memory grounded in historical facts and the need to anchor in society the truth about the events of 1945 and their dramatic consequences. “9 May is Victory Day — and the sacrifice of those who fought and died in the Second World War must be honored with dignity. But history did not end in 1945,” President Sandu stated, recalling the suffering endured by people in Moldova in the post‑war period — deportations, the man‑made famine, repression, and attempts to suppress national identity. “We cannot tolerate the overlap of commemorating the victims of the war with the glorification of the Soviet regime,” she underlined.

The President also highlighted the link between war memory and the European project: “There is no contradiction between honoring Victory Day and celebrating Europe. On the contrary. The European project was born precisely from the devastating lesson of war and totalitarianism — from the conviction that peace and freedom must replace hatred and imperialism.”

She further referred to the cognitive warfare facing Moldova — a form of aggression aimed at manipulating collective memory and distorting the past in order to influence the present and the future. The President also spoke about how Russian propaganda seeks to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine by falsifying history and denying the identity of the Ukrainian people. In this context, she stressed that “defending the truth is part of democratic resilience and national security.”

In conclusion, President Maia Sandu reaffirmed that Moldova’s European path requires learning and passing on the lessons of history to future generations: “The European future of the Republic of Moldova means assuming our past, just as it means choosing truth over propaganda.”