Senior state officials on July 2 laid flowers at the monument to Stephan the Great and Holy on the occasion of the 512nd anniversary of the death of the Moldovan ruler. These included President Nicolae Timofti, Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu and Prime Minister Pavel Filip, IPN reports.

“On this day, we commemorate the death of Stephan the Great, who was and continues to be for us an example. He is also our soul,” said Nicolae Timofti, noting that the people must follow the pieces of advice of Stephan the Great and love their homeland and protect its borders, especially in difficult times, when the territorial integrity of the state must be kept.

The event also involved ministers, MPs and people of arts. “Today is a day of remembrance for the greatest man from the Romanian area. This is a man who loved his country, had dignity, loved the people and knew how to defend his homeland. He was born long ago, but is not yet dead,” said the leader of the Liberal Party Mihai Ghimpu.

The Socialists also honored the ruler. “It is a day when we commemorate Stephan the Great and Holy, who did his best for this land to be Moldovan. We are not a country and people who want to take revenge, but those who consider themselves great Romanians must bear in mind: Stephan the Great burned Bucharest for several times. He considered himself Moldovan and was for the Moldovan language and for the history of Moldova,” said the leader of the Party of Socialists Igor Dodon.

On July 2, it is 512 years of the death of Ruler Stephan the Great and Holy, who remained in history owing to his courageous acts to defend the country and its territorial integrity and to promote faith among his people. He died on April 2, 1504, at the age of 71.