Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has criticised Ukraine for printing „Moldovan-language” school manuals, stating that it would pose a logistical problem. The Romanian government has agreed that the phrase would no longer be used in Ukraine, and the Romanian side has pressed Ukraine to remove references to the „Moldovan language” while advocating for the right of the Romanian-speaking minority to be educated in their mother tongue.
The new textbooks for fifth-grade students are due to be printed by Svit, financed by the Ukrainian government.
“When the Ukrainian Prime Minister came to visit Bucharest, we discussed the replacement of the Moldovan language, and we established it as a priority in the Romanian agenda,” said Marcel Ciolacu. The Romanian side continues to encourage Ukraine to scrap references to the „Moldovan language” while lobbying for the right of the Romanian-speaking minority to be educated in their mother tongue. Ethnic Romanians and Romanian-speaking Moldovans form a community of about half a million people in Ukraine; the second largest minority after ethnic Russians. In Moldova, the „Moldovan language” is on the way out, with a draft law replacing references to the “Moldovan” language with “Romanian” passed on March 16th this year.
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Romania and Ukraine Tussle Over ‘Moldovan’ Language
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