[EN] Exactly two centuries ago (on May 16, 1812), Russia snatched Bessarabia (which had not existed as distinct territory before) from Moldova. [RO] Exact acum două secole (pe 16 mai, 1812), Rusia a înşfăcat Basarabia (care nu existase ca teritoriu distinct înainte) de la Moldova.
[EN] Ottoman Turkey renounced this fringe of land between the Prut and the Dniester rivers, chopping Moldova for a second time. [RO] Turcia otomană a renunţat la această făşie de pământ dintre râurile Prut şi Nistru, ciopârţind Moldova pentru a doua oară.
[EN] Not very long before (1775), the Ottomans had ceded the north-western part of the country (Bukovina) to Austria. [RO] Nu cu foarte mult înainte (1775), otomanii cedaseră partea de nord-vest a ţării (Bucovina) Austriei.
[EN] The Russian-Ottoman Treaty was signed at Manuc’s Inn, Bucharest. Today, people have beer and Lebanese (?!) food there. [RO] Tratatul ruso-otoman a fost semnat la Hanul lui Manuc, Bucureşti. Azi, oamenii iau bere şi mâncare libaneză (?!) acolo.
[EN] A similar deal (1878) between Istanbul and London would forever change the destiny of Cyprus. [RO] O înţelegere similară (1878) între Istanbul şi Londra avea să schimbe pentru totdeauna destinul Ciprului.
[EN] Greece and Cyprus never united, though they are both EU members. A similar scenario is unlikely for Romania and Moldova. [RO] Grecia şi Cipru nu s-au unit niciodată, deşi sunt ambele membre ale UE. Un scenariu similar este improbabil pentru România şi Moldova.
[EN] What is likely is for Greece to exit (or be kicked out) of the Eurozone (+ EU), and for Moldova to be left out of the EU and Romania. [RO] Ceea ce este probabil este ca Grecia să iasă (sau să fie dată afară) din Eurozonă (+ UE), iar Moldova să fie lăsată în afara UE şi a României.
[EN] Russia is ready to benefit from that, and – after 70 years of peace taken for granted by many – Europe could be on the brink of war again… [RO] Rusia este gata să beneficieze de acesta şi – după 70 de ani de pace luaţi de-a gata de mulţi – Europa s-ar putea afla în pragul războiului din nou…
[EN] The proposed readings: / [RO] Lecturile propuse:
[RO] 2) Cum a fost ciopârţită Moldova – aici, aici, aici, aici, aici, aici, aici, aici.
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[RO] 4) Despre capcana încrederii în Vladimir Putin – aici.
[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]
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3 comments:
"The Russian-Ottoman Treaty was signed at Manuc’s Inn, Bucharest. Today, people have beer and Lebanese"
That's an interesting remark. Maybe one of the reasons Romania and Moldova are still separated is that we just don't care that much. Is that wrong ?
No doubt, it is deplorable that we don't care about our Romanian brothers over the Prut. But should we care too much about the piece of land that has been snatched from us?
As it is well known, there have been many "patriots" blaming Constantinescu for signing a treaty with Ukraine renouncing any claims on some ex-Romanian territories. Should we really care that much about the land itself ? What do you think about this issue ?
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When you say that Russia might benefit from the current situation and bring Europe on the brink of war, you're referring more to the tensions between Cyprus and Turkey rather than the situation in Moldova, is that so ? I doubt Russia would go to war for a territory they somehow already control.
The remark I was referring to in my comment is: "The Russian-Ottoman Treaty was signed at Manuc’s Inn, Bucharest. Today, people have beer and Lebanese (?!) food there."
Mihai,
Far be it from me to underestimate Russia's influence in Moldova, but I think that the lack of interest for a possible reunion of the two Romanian countries separated by the river Prut is the main cause for the current situation.
For the past two decades, there were some moments when the Russians could have been caught 'off guard', exspecially in the early 1990s.
In spite of several 'cultural bridges' between the two countries and a significant (young, educated) Moldovan diaspora in Romania, there is a complete absence of political will and vision for unity.
Self-absorbed within their petty goals, political leaders are like the majority of Romanians: unable to see outside their 'shell', to reach out to their 'brothers' or to experience any form of empathy.
Do you think that people - be them top politicians or ordinary, mostly poor, citizens - really care about anything else than themselves?!
We can't expect people who care about their immediate material needs and fantasms to have true feelings for others :-(
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The 1997 treaty with Ukraine is a sad episode in our contemporary history, however, it is not the 'decisive' act that had sealed the faith of those territories and the people of Romanian etnicity living there.
The great harm had already been done in 1940, when a big chunk of Romania was ceded to the Soviet Union without a single bullet being fired.
Of course, I couldn't care less about the land itself, but let's remember how many people (at least hundreds of thousand) were sent to Siberia, Kazakhstan and other remote places of the USSR.
What if war broke out between Romania and the Soviets in the summer of 1940? Wouldn't have the entire course of WW2 been changed?
Well, it's pointless to judge our predecessors, but it would be worthwhile to judge our own indifference in regard to our past.
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I tend to agree with you that Russia wouldn't fight for Moldova and the 'Big Bear' doesn't have to fight by itself; it would use the Transdniestrean regime as a 'proxy'.
What I meant was not that a new war could erupt because of Moldova or Greece. I believe that they could play the role that Czechoslovakia and Austria played in 1938-1939.
They could completely fall within Russia's sphere of influence, and afterwards, the Cypriot-Turkish dispute would serve as the casus belli for WW3, just like Hitler's invasion of Poland led to the start of WW2.
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