Ion ȘTEFANOVICI, President of CAPDR: “I am Romanian. I am Moldovan. I have decided to initiate the process of acquiring citizenship of the Republic of Moldova.”
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I am Romanian. I am Moldovan.
This week, I have decided to initiate the process of acquiring citizenship of the Republic of Moldova.
This decision is the result of years of inner reflection, searching, and clarification.
The moment came during work meetings this week.
On Monday, I was in Bucharest — ministries, discussions, projects, perspectives.
On Wednesday, along the route Suceava – Botoșani – Ștefănești – Glodeni – Sîngerei – Soroca and back, I traveled a path that unites the mountains with the plains, the Prut with the Dniester, history with the present.
At a certain point, during conversations with Moldovan officials, I felt warmth and closeness in my heart. On that beautiful and familiar road, a strong stirring began within me.
This weekend, I felt clearly that the time had come. Not as an impulse, but as a maturation. As an inner settling.
My life has been connected to this space. I was born, grew up, and lived forty years in Iași. My education was completed in Bucharest, where I also fulfilled my duty to the country through military service.
During the pandemic, life brought me to Suceava, in the Moldavian Mountains, where my family found a new balance.
God blessed me with the chance to live between mountains and plains, between heights and calm waters. In my childhood and adolescence, I spent summers in the Prut plain, in Ștefănești.
There, I learned simplicity, patience, and connection to the land. As a sign of gratitude to this place, I established the CAPDR Cross-Border Cooperation Center in Ștefănești.
Today, at 44, I am discovering Moldova in its entirety — in its beauty, richness, and splendor. I am discovering the Dniester and the localities it passes from north to south. In my heart and mind, I carry the confidence that I will come to know the beauties of Bugeac, all the way to the Great Sea.
I preserve my Romanian identity and fully embrace my belonging to the Republic of Moldova. The process of acquiring citizenship represents continuity, gratitude, and responsibility.
My family is part of this story. My children are growing up in a space that breathes the same language, the same culture, and the same historical memory. I offer them an example of commitment and coherence.
Identity means roots and a journey.
It means memory and future.
It means faith and responsibility.
I approach this step with calm and confidence.
I place it before God and hope that this decision will be blessed.
Ion ȘTEFANOVICI, President of CAPDR
