Moldovan president directs congratulation message on occasion of winter holidays

Dear citizens,

We leave behind another year of our lives.

The way as it was, with good and bad, ups and downs, with loss and victory, this year we will keep in memory. It is the country's history, the biography of each of us.

In 2016, the Republic of Moldova celebrated the 25th anniversary of Independence. This jubilee of a quarter of a century is the one of our maturity as a state. We have demonstrated that we are able to maintain our statehood, to strengthen the nation to move past the challenges that have hit hard.

The year 2016 was the one when citizens regained the fundamental right to directly elect the leader of the country.

And it is an important political achievement because presidency approached the people. The vote made directly serve more legitimate and accountable.

In the end, many of us experienced the happiness of childbirth, but others experienced the pain of losing the loved ones. We loved and suffered. It was a year that influenced and mature us.

Now our thoughts turn to the coming the year 2017. It is a new page that will open it and from which we expect good things and happy changes.

I know that wherever you are in the middle of the family, among friends, at work, abroad or in solitude, in good humor or perhaps sadness, each of you has hope that the coming year will bring you more joy, more achievements, more heat from the closest ones.

I wish wholeheartedly that these expectations to be realized. To a large extent, the citizens' welfare and happiness depend of those in power, they depend on those who are obliged to maintain growth, ensuring social cohesion, develop villages, roads, agriculture, the country. This is my responsibility as president, too. It is a duty which I shall respect.

At the same time, each of the citizens, each of us can make the world around better in the coming year.

Let us be more sympathetic and generous with those next to us.

Let show kindness in our everyday relationships.

Let be good professionals, love our families and honour our own country.

Let us not forget that we have always been a people glorified throughout labour and kindness.

I hope that the coming year, 2017, will be for our entire people a year of peace and well-being. We are all citizens of the same country – Moldova. The life of each of us in the New Year will change for the better if we love the homeland, if we respect each other, if we take care of the loved ones and close people.

I wish you a Happy New Year, and let the destiny of the country to favour us and our joint effort to bring us wealth.

Happy New Year!