The authorities in Bucharest are holding discussions with the Turkish side with a view to returning to Romania the sword of the Moldavian ruler Ştefan cel Mare, declared Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, official visit to the Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed Bin Mosque in Abu Dhabi
The Head of the Executive made the clarification, on Tuesday, in a press conference, at the end of the official visit he made to Ankara at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Agerpres.
“There are two copies, one received by the former prime minister… and one…, made by the same armorer. One is in my office and one was received by Adrian Năstase and was donated to Putna. We are having discussions on this topic”said Marcel Ciolacu, when asked if the subject of the return to Romania of the sword of ruler Ştefan cel Mare was also addressed during the discussions held with President Erdogan.
How Stephen the Great's sword got to the Turks. The unsolved mystery for over 400 years
In the Topkapî museum in Istanbul, the great palace of the Ottoman sultans, in the hall dedicated to weapons, there is the sword of Stephen the Great. Romanians who visit the imposing oriental edifice stop reverently near the window where the sword is displayed.
The sword is plain, compared to the other weapons on display in the rest of the display cases, which are encrusted with precious stones and made of noble materials. On the handle of the sword you can see the coat of arms of Moldova, the bour's head and the inscription in Slavonic “Io Ştefan Voivode Lord of the Country of Moldova”. Next to it, we decipher the inscription “Ștefan cel Mare”, then translated into Turkish.
This type of weapon is confirmed by the swords discovered at Tg. Neamţ, at Deleni in Iaşi county, at the Neamţ Citadel, or by those painted at the church in Bălineşti, states Carol Konig, an expert in medieval weaponry, in “Armament from the equipment of the Moldavian army during the reign of Stephen the Great”.
The sword, made of Toledo steel, was received by Stephen the Great after the Battle of Vaslui from Pope Sixtus VI, in recognition of Moldavia's decisive role in the defense of Christendom.
Stephen the Great's sword PHOTO Mariana Iancu
The legends related to the great ruler
Romanian tourists can travel to Turkey only with the bulletin. The decree was signed
Romanian citizens can travel to Turkey only with the bulletin, according to a presidential decree signed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan and published in the Official Gazette of Turkey.
The Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, is present in Ankara on Tuesday, as a guest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The President of Turkey signed a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette before the visit, announcing the elimination of visas for Romanian citizens entering Turkey, writes turkiyenewspaper.com.
“Romanian citizens possessing a national identity document benefit from visa exemption for tourist and transit trips in Turkey, with a maximum stay of 90 days during a 180-day period, in accordance with Article 18 of Law no. 6458 on the regime of foreigners and international protection”, states the decree signed by the Turkish president, according to Turkish media.
