The great poet of the nation, Grigore Vieru, remains a strong pillar of national culture. Vieru's personality will remain in our memory, thanks to his creation which has an indisputable educational value, based on several essential themes - mother, homeland, speech, war, peace, childhood, etc.

On February 14, Grigore Vieru would have turned 88 years old. On this occasion, several members of the diaspora, settled in various corners of the world, paid tribute to the late poet.

A literary evening with the participation of our compatriots settled in the Land of the Rising Sun was organized at the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Japan. Those present at the event recited the writer's poems, including translations into Japanese and German. The members of the diaspora found that far from their native lands, Vieru's works make you relive even more strongly the feelings towards the nation and the country.

Another event commemorating the national poet, Grigore Vieru, was organized at the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Belgium and Luxembourg. A recital of poems and songs was presented by the members of the group "Sezatore Bruxelles".

The theme addressed by Vieru in his verses, apparently simple but very profound, was also noticed by the members of the "Miorița" association in Portugal who, in turn, paid tribute to the master. Both the children and their parents, members of the respective association, presented a literary-musical program during a soulful evening.

We note that one of the major objectives of the Diaspora Relations Bureau (BRD) is to promote reading, local writers and poets among Moldovans living abroad. In this sense, for several years in a row, BRD has offered several batches of the book "Albinuta", written by the poet Grigore Vieru, as a gift to the Educational Centers of the Diaspora and associations in the diaspora.
 

The Association for the Integration of Migrants in collaboration with Pro-Diaspora France, conducts weekly Romanian language courses for children from the Paris region between  4-12 ages.

Several children of our compatriots settled in France, eager to speak their parents' language, attend the Educational Center within the Association for the Integration of Migrants and under the guidance of the Romanian language teacher, Ion Ciobanu, they persevere and learn to communicate in a language that is still their's. Every weekend they attend classes with enthusiasm to study new topics, which will be useful for their speaking.

Each lesson is well structured so that the children can learn the grammar of the Romanian language, but also interact with each other through skits, songs and various games.

Professor Ion Ciobanu together with the president of the Association for the Integration of Migrants, Doina Guzun, as well as other members of the mentioned teams, contribute essentially to the conduct of Romanian language classes. To capture the children's interest, they identify interesting topics about the Republic of Moldova and spend hours reading books written by great national poets and writers.

We wish the little ones success throughout this journey and express our gratitude to the teachers in the diaspora for their substantial contribution to the achievement of this important mission.

"Welcome home" was the motto of the participants of the event with the generic name "Yellow Gutuie", which was organized on February 4, by the Association "OurRoots - Diaspora Moldova from Switzerland" .

An important moment of the evening was the official launch of the "Rădăcinile noste" Association and the "Guguță" Mother Language and Culture School in the city. Zurich. In order to support the activity of the newly created association, the Diaspora Relations Bureau contributed with the support, offering didactic materials, books and objects of national symbolism.

The event also hosted a folk craftsmen's fair from Moldova where handicrafts and ceramics, local pastry products, beekeeping sweets and a collection of Moldovan wines were exhibited.

Being present at the event, the ambassador of the Republic of Moldova in Switzerland, Tatiana Molcean, congratulated the members of the "Our Roots" association for the good organization that demonstrates not only professionalism, but also love for the country.

The President of the Association "Rădăcinile nostre" Valentina Ceban together with her team, the co-founders Anastasia Pârvan, Elena Rotari, Natalia Bencheci mentioned that the initiative was born from the desire to promote our country and talk to the world about traditions, hospitality, tourism and , last but not least, about domestic products.
 
 

The day of January 21 was special for the members of the diaspora from the city of Salford, Manchester, who gathered in a cultural event dedicated to the winter holidays, organized by the "Moldovan Diaspora UK" association, president Dina Răilean.

In order to feel the wonderful atmosphere of the holidays, but also with the aim of propagating the winter traditions and beautiful customs of the ancestral people, a group of children of our compatriots from Great Britain held an artistic program with themed poems and songs, greetings, carols, but also a ballet dance, being guided by our compatriot, Olesea Tudosan. As a sign of gratitude, BRD gave diplomas to the children participating in the show with the title "Caroling the winter".

At the same time, we note the fact that, at the craft fair, held within the respective event, local folk craftsmen were also present, who exhibited their personal works, being appreciated by the public.

An amalgam of emotions, feelings and experiences, anchored by a boundless longing for the homeland and traditions, were felt by our compatriots from the city. Camposampiero, Padua, Italy, gathered in the 3rd edition of the "Yellow Bottle" Festival. The event was organized on the occasion of the beautiful winter holidays, by the "Busuioc" association, president Lilia Tusa.

The audience enjoyed a warm and friendly atmosphere, spiritually feeding themselves with popular songs and dances, part of our folklore treasury. With a deep feeling of joy and fulfillment, Lilia Tusa mentioned that the audience was up to the guests, the established artists, but also the up-and-coming ones. "When I look for magic, I find it in people," Ms. Tusa said. In context, we specify that the guest of honor of the "Galbenă Gutuie" Festival was the well-known popular music performer from the Bucovina area, Sofia Vicoveanca.

A similar show with the participation of the beloved performer also took place in Turin, being a beautiful collaboration between the "Busuioc" association from the city. Padua in partnership with the dance and art school "Primo Passo" from Turin, founder Iurie Răileanu, who directed the show and choreographed the dances.

It is gratifying that our secular values are promoted by our compatriots who have left for the big world, further strengthening the bond between the associations.

The winter holidays were a wonderful opportunity to bring together the Moldovan community in New York, at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Moldova to the UN, to spend a soulful evening with memories, carols and good cheer.

The event provided the opportunity for members of the diaspora and representatives of the Diplomatic Mission to authentically interpret carols and share emotions about ancestral national traditions, which brought them closer to home.

As is the ancient tradition, the group of carolers was rewarded with cakes and gifts. At the same time, the head of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova to the UN, Gheorghe Leucă, handed the children of our compatriots, who attended the event, books kindly offered by the Diaspora Relations Bureau.

This beautiful evening was an extraordinary opportunity to promote winter traditions and strengthen cooperative relations between the diaspora and the members of the Diplomatic Mission, with a view to jointly organizing some important events.
 
 

Citizens of the Republic of Moldova, living in the city St. Petersburg gathered to end the string of winter holidays. The event symbolically titled "It's carol time" emphasized ancestral traditions and customs. Both the organizers and the guests present, international families, speakers of several languages addressed each other with wishes for peace, kindness, faith and prosperity. The plugusor, the sorcova, the carol were said and sung with authenticity and dedication.

The decor of the hall where the event took place was taken from the story, with traditional elements and exhibitions of handicraft items, this being complemented by local culinary delights, made directly by the participants of the meeting.

The song, the dance and the good will united even more the audience eager for beautiful emotions, and the members of the "Struguras" ensemble fired up the large choir, with shouts and squeals, demonstrating artistic skills, talent and mastery.

Not missing from the event dedicated to the winter holidays in St. Petersburg were the beloved characters "Santa Claus" and "Snow White", who offered gifts to the children of the associations involved.

"We tried to show the best practices and knowledge of traditions that contribute to strengthening trust, unity, friendship and cooperation between peoples, regardless of age and nationality, an important form of public diplomacy for preserving and promoting ethnic taste, a valuable heritage of peoples , of Moldova", said Ana Cudalb, president of the association of Moldovans from Yakutia, organizer and founder of the Moldovan Cultural Center in Saint Petersburg.

The wonderful people of the country, settled abroad, took with them the image of Moldova and spread it all over the world. However, the longest road and the most coveted destination during the holidays is the place of origin. Gabriela Cojocaru, a talented and ambitious young woman, who lives in China, can also be found in the aforementioned.

These days, the team of the Diaspora Relations Bureau (BRD) happily welcomed the actress, choreographer and journalist who carries out an intense activity in the country of residence. Playing roles in 6 film productions and filming content on social networks, our fellow citizen has reached more than 2 million followers.

From the first day she arrived in China, Gabriela Cojocaru had the feeling of comfort and the feeling that she had been in those places before, very easily acquiring the Chinese language and adapting to the cultural traditions.

The guest's dream is to create leverage between institutions and valuable people from the two countries, to facilitate investment projects, with Chinese capital, in our country.

Nadejda Zubco, the head of the Diaspora Relations Bureau, thanked Gabriela Cojocaru for the visit and for the effort made in capitalizing on the local culture. At the same time, the head of BRD invited the charismatic actress to follow the work of the Bureau and to get involved from a distance in projects and programs intended for members of the diaspora.

We express our gratitude for the beautiful collaboration between BRD and the deputies from the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, representatives of the diaspora. We specify that among the common objectives of the two institutions are the identification, promotion and exploitation of the human potential of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, settled abroad.
 

With the diary full of questions and some collaboration initiatives, Svetlana Anghel, president of the association of Moldovans from Tyumen, Russian Federation, came on an informational visit at the Diaspora Relations Bureau (BRD).

One of the ideas that Mrs. Anghel would like to realize concerns the opening of a business in her hometown. In this sense, she showed interest in the support offered by the state, the existing policies, as well as the economic programs she could benefit from.

In the same time, Svetlana Anghel stated that, in partnership with the diaspora and several town halls from the Republic of Moldova, she wants to participate in the Diaspora Program at Home Succeeds "DAR 1+3", to contribute to the development of localities in our country. In this sense, informational support was requested from the Office regarding the regulation and the way of application to the Program.

During the dialogue with the BRD team, several problems faced by the diaspora from the Russian Federation were also pointed out, including when completing some documents.

Another topic addressed during the meeting is related to the method of bringing personal property into the country. In this context, the head of BRD, Nadejda Zubco, referred to Law no. 248/29.07.2022 regarding the granting of exemption from the payment of import duties for citizens of the Republic of Moldova who return to live in the Republic of Moldova.

The Head of BRD also suggested to Mrs. Anghel to contact the Business Incubator in her native district, in order to receive support in opening the business and also to analyze the opportunities of the Economic Impact Programs of the Organization for the Development of Entrepreneurship (ODA).
 

The visit at the Diaspora Relations Bureau (BRD) of Viorica Țîmbalari, a reference name of the French diaspora, was an opportune moment to communicate and learn from the first source details about the activity she carries out both abroad and in the Republic Moldova.

Viorica is always involved in charity projects and strengthening the diaspora, lawyer, civic activist, member of the Board of Directors of the National Coalition "Life without violence in the family", founder of the "Help" Public Associations from Moldova and "Help Europe" and of the "Ofemeie.com" platform.

During the discussions with the BRD team, Viorica reported about the newest social project - "Peace House", which is being implemented in Mașcăuți village, Criuleni district, to help people in difficulty from Moldova and refugees from Ukraine.

Another initiative of Mrs. Țîmbalari refers to the organization of the second edition of the "Ofemeie" Gala, which is planned for this May, with the aim of strengthening diaspora associations. Being concerned about the fate of children from socially vulnerable families in Moldova, Viorica Țîmbalari is working on a project to support and encourage them, to facilitate their access to studies in institutions in the country, but also abroad.

In the context of BRD's collaboration with Local Public Authorities, within the "DAR 1+3" Diaspora Home Succeeds Program, the interlocutor came up with a suggestion to BRD to identify some municipalities in Moldova, which stand out by implementing new projects to twin them with town halls in France.

Among the priority topics of the discussion was the establishment of the Bessarabian Businessmen's Club (COAB), as BRD plans to organize the Diaspora Business Forum, 2023. In this sense, the head of BRD, Nadejda Zubco, proposed to Mrs. Țimbalari to contribute to the identification of businessmen natives of Moldova, to participate in this event.

Also, Nadejda Zubco recommended our guest to register on the emoldovata.gov.md platform in order to be able to promote his activity and, at the same time, come up with proposals to BRD - with initiatives, useful topics for members of the diaspora.

At the end of the meeting, the head of BRD expressed her gratitude for the productive discussion, the openness of cooperation and offered Viorica the national costume that her daughter, Amelie-Marie Țîmbalari, obtained as a prize, participating in the 10th edition of The government program DOR.