CMC approves signing of Chisinau-Iasi Town-twinning Protocol

The Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) on January 22 approved the signing of the Protocol to the Chisinau-Iasi Town-twinning Agreement. The Iasi Municipal Council adopted a similar draft decision on November 29, 2007. The protocol will be signed by the mayors of the two towns in Iasi on January 24, when it is marked the Union of the Romanian Principates. Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca said that the Chisinau delegation will be composed of representatives of all the political organisations represented in the CMC. The twinning with the old capital of Moldova aroused controversy among the local councillors. The chairman of the Social-Democratic faction Eduard Musuc said that the twinning of the two towns was excessively politicised by the Liberal Party. “This decision is taken not by a single party, but by the whole municipality,” Musuc said. He stressed that he sincerely want the residents of the two towns to feel the positive impacts of the twinning, both on economic and social levels. Eduard Musuc said that Chisinau should engage in all the crossborder-projects financed by the EU and the mayor general should work out a plan of action aimed at attracting European funds for implementing joint projects between the City Halls of Iasi and Chisinau. Under the program, the “Union Evening” and a reception will be held at the Iasi City Hall on January 24 in the evening. The Town Twinning Protocol will be signed then. The event is expected to be emotional. Members of the Romanian Government and the President Traian Basescu will be among those attending. The festivities dedicated to the Union of Principates will last for six days and will include different activities. Besides official ceremonies, there will be organised performances throughout the city, a folk concert in the Union Square and a concert of pop music in the Palace Square, debates, exhibitions and contests on the historical event of 1859. Nicolae Furdui Iancu, Laura Lavric, Elisabeta Turcu and others will perform on January 24, after the official ceremonies held in the Union Square. The bands “Zdob si Zdub” and “Simplu” will give a concert in front of the Palace of Culture. The municipality of Chisinau signed agreements on town twinning, cooperation and friendly exchanges with 30 towns from Europe, the United States and China. Chisinau is twinned with such towns as Bucharest, Kiev, Minsk, Odessa, Ankara and others.