Between 11–13 November 2025, for the second consecutive year, the International Moldova Forum (IFM) took place in Chișinău under the theme “The Year 1944 and Its Consequences – Local Perspectives.” The event was organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) Office in the Republic of Moldova and the Institute for German Culture and History of Southeastern Europe (IKGS) at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Culture and History of Germans in Eastern Europe (BKGE) in Oldenburg, the State University of Moldova, and the “Ion Creangă” State Pedagogical University.
The IFM 2025 program included several formats: an international and interdisciplinary research seminar, an opening literary evening dedicated to history, literature, and memory, featuring Moldovan authors Tatiana Țîbuleacand Emilian Galaicu-Păun, an academic conference on the theme “The Year 1944 and Its Consequences – Local Perspectives,” as well as a one-day field trip to southern regions of the Republic of Moldova.
The forum focused on fostering a deeper understanding of historical processes and strengthening the culture of memory, while promoting public dialogue grounded in scientific rigor and well-founded argumentation. At the same time, the event aimed to encourage a responsible engagement with both the past and the present of the Republic of Moldova, stimulating critical reflection and civic involvement.
IFM provided a platform for dialogue where researchers, historians, and representatives of civil society from the Republic of Moldova, Germany, and other European countries jointly examined key historical, political, and social developments. The academic exchange among young researchers brought together diverse perspectives, encouraged fact-based discussions, and generated valuable momentum for sustainable scientific and civic cooperation.
Special emphasis was also placed on the role of literature in shaping collective memory. The event demonstrated how literary works can contribute to transmitting historical experiences, stimulate debates on the culture of memory in contemporary literature, and highlight the importance of writers as mediators between history and public consciousness. This approach contributes to strengthening the democratic resilience of the Republic of Moldova by anchoring historical experiences within a broader European framework and by encouraging deeper dialogue on shared challenges relevant to contemporary political and social developments.
IFM 2025 comprehensively demonstrated the essential role of historical research in understanding current developments and highlighted the importance of local perspectives in analyzing regional transformation processes. The participation of local experts strengthened the visibility of the academic community in the Republic of Moldova and facilitated the transmission of historical knowledge to a wider public. In this way, the forum makes a significant contribution to the objectives of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation: promoting fact-based political education, encouraging a responsible engagement with the past, and supporting the European orientation of the Republic of Moldova.
Links to IFM 2025:
https://moldovaforum.eu/de/internationales-forum-moldova/
https://www.ikgs.de/2-internationales-forum-moldova-ein-land-am-rand-und-doch-im-zentrum-2-forumul-international-moldova-o-tara-la-periferie-si-totusi-in-centru/
https://moldovaforum.eu/de/bericht-2025/
https://www.bkge.de/veranstaltungen/2-internationales-forum-moldova-2025
