25.3 mm diameter, 7.65 g, steel plated with brass on the inner disk and plated with nickel on the outer ring, grained edge with the incused inscription ★ MOLDOVA (two times) face value 10 LEI, micro-engraved inscription BNM (National Bank of Moldavia) written three times on the vertical segment of digit 1, year 2020; above a rectagle made of vertical segments on which monogram R M (from Republic of Moldova) is written as a hidden image; the letters are visible by tilting the coin from left to right about the vertical axis; on the outer ring there are the 30 stars with 5 rays each, ★, one star for each year since the return of the Romanian tricolor, red-yellow-blue, in the space between the Prut and Dniester Rivers

the building of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova (the first building in Chișinău where the tricolor was hoisted in 1990), an image of the tricolor, above it the coat of arms of the Republic of Moldova; on the outer ring inscription · 30 DE ANI DE LA ADOPTAREA TRICOLORULUI · REPUBLICA MOLDOVA meaning 30 YEARS SINCE THE ADOPTION OF THE TRICOLOR Issuing date: 21st of April 2020 Mintage: 250,000 coins

The National Flag Day is celebrated in the Republic of Moldavia (commonly called Republic of Moldova, which is unnatural for English context) on April 27th (the date on which, in 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted the red-yellow-blue tricolor as the state flag). The tricolor flag was raised on the same day on the building of the Supreme Soviet (today, the building of the Presidency of the Republic) by the patriot deputy Gheorghe Ghimpu (1937 - 2000). The holiday was established by Parliament in 2010.

The state flag of the Republic of Moldova has a height to width ratio of 1:2. The state flag of Romania, the same tricolor red-yellow-blue, has the height to width ratio of 2:3. In Romania, the flag day was established in 1998 and is celebrated on June 26th.

The Romanian tricolor has been present in the space between the Prut and Nistru (Dniester) Rivers, also known as Basarabia (also found in Russianised form Bessarabia), since the beginning of its use as a symbol of the Romanian people.

Known in a preliminary form since the Revolution of 1848, the red, yellow and blue tricolor became the state flag after the Union of the Principalities of Moldavia and Walachia, i.e. after January 24th, 1859.

As the flag of the United Principalities and then of Romania, it was used in the eastern counties of Cahul, Bolgrad and Ismail (southern Basarabia), as well as throughout the Country.

After the territorial seizure imposed by the Russian Empire in 1878, in the form of an exchange of territories (Cahul, Bolgrad and Ismail against Dobrogea), the use of the Romanian tricolor ceased in the Basarabian (also found in Russianised form Bessarabian) area until 1917. The hoisting of the tricolor returned to this area on November 21st, 1917, together with the opening of the Country Council (Sfatul Țării), the representative body of the population of Basarabia. George Tofan from Bukovina, a refugee in Basarabia, witnessed this historic event and testifies the special attention given to the flag: after Te Deum <<...the assistance left the church and went to the meeting hall, where the national flag of the Moldavian regiment was introduced by several soldiers. This flag was consecrated by the Right Reverend Gabriel with holy water. Archpriest Berezovschi's choir performed the national anthem "Deșteaptă-te, române!" (Wake up, Romanian! or Awaken thee, Romanian!) and "Unity is written on our flag" (Pe-al nostru steag e scris unire). The assistance enthusiastically shouts: "Hooray! Long live!" >> [1].

Romanians, where do they live and who they are

The people inhabiting the geographical space centered on the Carpathian Mountains and loosely confined by the rivers Danube, Tisa and Nistru (Dniester) is the Romanian people. They are descendants of the ancient people of Dacians and the colonists arrived here after the Roman conquest under emperor Trajan.

The Romanians are living on the territories of middle age political formations of Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania, the latter being associated as well with Maramureș, Banat and Crișana. They speak the Romanian language, a romance language derived from ancient Latin.

The English vocabulary issue related to the Moldavian problem

Moldova is the Romanian word for the Middle Age state and nowadays region, established since the founding of the principality, while Moldavia is the well established English word for same, which came to English vocabulary through the Latinized name of the principality (as it can be found for instance in medieval papal correspondence).

Early modern sources as the works of Dimitrie Cantemir used Moldo-Vlachia / Moldo-Valachia for Latin description of the principality.

Therefore Moldavia is the proper English word (similarly, Moldavie being the French word, Moldau and Moldawien the just German words, acceptable alternatives with the former rather archaic). Any other uses derived from the Romanian word "Moldova" are actual neologisms and are serving subversive, anti-Romanian propaganda aimed at keeping the Romanian people split in, for now, two states, that is Romania and the Republic of Moldavia (aka Republica Moldova or worse, Moldova in diplomatic discourse).

Historically the state of Moldavia together with the state of Walachia joined in 1859 under prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to found the modern day Romania (first as United Principalities) while parts of the Moldavian Principality had still been seized away from Moldavia as parts of Czarist and Austria-Hungary Empires. These parts returned to the Romanian state in 1918. The successor of the Moldavian state is the Romanian state.

Today, the historical core of Moldavia, lying generally between Carpathian Mountains and River Prut, is part of the Romanian state with borders resulting out of WWII. This includes the medieval counties and principality capitals of Suceava and Iași, while the Republic of Moldavia inherits the puppet state created by Stalin in 1940, as member of USSR, over the middle part of former gubernia of Basarabia, generally confined between Prut and Nistru Rivers, however missing the northern and southern part of it. The Soviet State received a small addition of territory in Transnistria, today subject of a frozen conflict. Parts of the northern and south-eastern Moldavia were given by Stalin to Ukraine and are still parts of Ukraine.

Republic of Moldavia today misses legitimacy of claiming the vocabulary based on words derived from Moldavia or Moldova, as the state artificially created in 1940 does not inherit the Moldavian state. None of the capitals of the Moldavian state lie on the today's territory of the Republic of Moldavia. The city of Chișinău dates back from the Middle Ages (1436), however it was raised to administrative center status by the Czarist Empire only, and that limited to the Czarist gubernia of Basarabia (or Bessarabia in Russian form).

Use of Moldova/ Moldovan as words in public English discourse today further continues the older Russian and Soviet propaganda claiming that river Prut would split two different nations speaking different languages (Romanian and Moldavian) further bringing sense to a tactics to leave the established, well known English words of Moldavia/ Moldavian in favor of such English neologisms as Moldova / Moldovan. A tabula rasa tactics is useful for avoiding historical discussions while engendering implicit claims for the Republic of Moldova / Moldavia of being successor of the Moldavian Principality.

The Republic of Moldavia is a creation of USSR - and in particular a choice of Stalin - and a direct consequence of USSR winning the WWII. WWII concluded with USSR's seizing of territories from Finland, the Baltic States, Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Japan.

References

1. Țurcanu I., Papuc M., Basarabia în actul Marii Uniri de la 1918, Editura Știința, Chișinău, 2017.