Sovereignty Day was established in 1990 with the adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty. It was a fundamental act that marked the beginning of the road towards independence, democracy and the consolidation of the rule of law. The document was adopted on June 23, 1990 by the deputies of the Supreme Soviet of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic, IPN reports.
The adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty was the result of efforts for national revival and liberation. The act enshrines, in clear terms, that the sovereignty of the MSSR is a natural and necessary precondition for the affirmation of statehood.
The people are the bearers of sovereignty, the document says. It expressly states that sovereignty is exercised in the interests of the people as a whole by the supreme representative organ of the republic’s state power. No part of the people, no group of citizens, political party or public organization, formation or individual may assume the right to exercise sovereignty.
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As regards citizenship, the declaration states that all citizens of the state, as well as foreign citizens and stateless persons residing in the territory, have rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and other legislative acts of the republic, as well as by the principles and norms of unanimously recognized international law, while being obliged to respect the laws in force.
The document also stipulates the unitary and indivisible character of the state. It stipulates that the borders of the SSMR may be changed by mutual agreements concluded with other sovereign states, in accordance with the will of the people, historical realities and the rules of international law.
At the same time, the state declares itself a demilitarized zone, actively promotes the consolidation of world peace and security, participates directly in the European process for cooperation and security, in European structures.
The historic event took place in a complicated political climate characterized by a wave of proclamations of sovereignty that swept across the entire Soviet space. Sovereignty was first proclaimed in Estonia, followed by Lithuania and Latvia. The Declaration of Sovereignty of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic was preceded by those of Georgia on May 26, 1990 and Russia on June 12, 1990.
As a sign of reaffirmation of the new state path, exactly one year later, on June 23, 1991, on the first anniversary of the proclamation of sovereignty, the first postage stamps were issued, with the coat of arms and the flag of the Republic of Moldova.
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