A Monument Dedicated to Hungarian Heroes Inaugurated in Chisinau

CHISINAU, July 3, 2015 — Minister of Defense, Viorel Cibotaru, and his Hungarian counterpart, Csaba Hende, who is on a working visit to Chisinau, attended today the ceremony of inauguration and unveiling of the Monument to Hungarian Heroes killed in World War II.

The event was held at “Eternitate” Memorial, and brought together Chief of Main Staff, National Army Commander, Brigadier Gen. Igor Gorgan, Ambassador of Hungary to Republic of Moldova, Matyas Szilagyi, as well as Hungarian defense attaché, Istvan Toth.

During the ceremony, Minister Csaba Hende stated: “We are here, at the cemetery of ‘Eternitatea’ Memorial, where heroes are buried far from their homeland. We must remember that through their death, a part of ourselves died as well. The memory of this devastating war will always remain in our hearts”.

The Hungarian Defense Minister expressed his gratitude to Republic of Moldova, especially to Center of Military History and Culture, for the support offered in finding and burying the bones of compatriots deported and killed in concentration camps from Moldova during World War II.

In his turn, Viorel Cibotaru mentioned the effective cooperation between Republic of Moldova and Hungary on taking care of the graves and remembering the war victims by inaugurating monuments and tombstones. “The result of our countries’ efforts is the unveiling in Chisinau of the Monument to Hungarian soldiers and civilians who died in World War II”, said the Moldovan Defense Minister.

The participants at the event attended a religious ceremony of the Roman-Catholic Diocese from Chisinau, and laid flowers at “Maica Indurerata” (Grieving Mother) Monument of “Eternitate” Memorial.

Also today, within his visit to Republic of Moldova, Csaba Hende had a meeting with Viorel Cibotaru at the Center of Military History and Culture. The officials exchanged opinions on regional situation, and main aspects of bilateral military cooperation. Both Ministers agreed on intensifying the Moldovan-Hungarian relationship through the development of joint projects. These projects are to regard the building of monuments in memory of war victims, and care of military cemeteries from Moldova and Hungary.

There are currently three military cemeteries of Hungarian soldiers on the territory of Republic of Moldova — in Balti, Tighina, and Chisinau. In 2012, in Balti, a commemorative plaque was inaugurated in memory of Hungarian military and civil prisoners dead in World War II.

The Moldova Hungarian defense cooperation relationship is based on the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed November 25, 1997.