Film released in the memory of Ion Iliescu by one of his close friends. “He never talked about it, I do it now”
A movie of almost an hour about Ion Iliescu was released today by his former close counselor, Ionuț Vulpescu. The documentary called “Ion Iliescu. The last barricade” brings together the testimonies of 21 personalities about the former president of Romania. The documentary was launched on the day the state funerals take place in the memory of Ion Iliescu.
The documentary begins with a message read by Ion Iliescu, in which he talks about the interview he granted to Ionuț Vulpescu, in his podcast, “Avanganda”. “I hope that the Romanian society will not leave its avant -garde habits, that is, they will not return against themselves,” says the former president, Ion Iliescu.
“My memories with the president are more than all I will forget, with the passage of time and with the increase of VAT – value added. It is a continuous present,” says Ionuț Vulpescu.
“I would lose everything I won”
Ionuț Vulpescu, the former councilor from Cotroceni and one of the closest people from the time Iliescu retired from public life, then talks about a moment that Ion Iliescu “never talked about it, I do now.”
“In February 2010, many leaders of the party have searched him at the famous Athens office number 11, (…) to convince him to run and take over the party they founded. Many of them had betrayed at the April 2005 Congress, this after another Congress, from August 2004, had explicitly requested with the Resolution,” Ionuș Vulpescu.
He recalls that then Ion Iliescu was 80 years old.
“After the President of Romania had always drawn lists after him, obtaining unmatched electoral scores, he decided that he could not run against a few people. Seeing the pilgrimage of those days, I asked him in an afternoon what he will do. Will he run?” No “,” I would lose everything “.
The documentary includes testimonies from 21 “remarkable personalities of the political and cultural, national and international scene, of the last century, evoking memories about the personality of President Ion Iliescu”, according to the description on YouTube. Of these, there are testimonies from former leaders from the Republic of Moldova, Albania, Croatia or Bulgaria.
Specifically, there are testimonies from:
- Petru Lucinschi, former president of the Republic of Moldova
- Sali Berisha, former president of Albania
- Stjepan Mesić, former President of Croatia
- King Simeon II of Bulgaria
- Serghei Stanișev, former prime minister of Bulgaria
- Adrian Nastase, former Prime Minister of Romania
- Ion Sturza, former prime minister of the Republic of Moldova
- George Maior, Ambassador, former director of the Romanian Intelligence Service
- Nadia Comăneci
- Hannes Swoboda, former leader of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament
- Thierry de Montbrial, President of the French Institute of International Relations
- Ioan-Aurel Pop, the president of the Romanian Academy
- Alexandru Athanasiu, teacher, former Minister of Education
- Nicolae Manolescu, teacher and literary critic
- Simona-Mirela Miculescu, president of the UNESCO General Conference and former presidential counselor
- Florin Georgescu, Vice Governor of the BNR
- Mişu Negrițoiu, former minister for coordination, strategy and reform and former presidential counselor
- Alexandru Mironov, writer and former presidential counselor
- Dan Mihalache, ambassador
- Dumitru Borțun, teacher
- Akkan Suver, President of the Marmara Foundation
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The state funerals in honor of former President Ion Iliescu started on Wednesday morning, when the coffin was transported from the SRI Hospital “Agrippa Ionescu”, where Ion Iliescu died on Tuesday, to the Cotroceni Palace.
The coffin is deposited on the catafalc in the Unirii Hall, where it will remain until Thursday, when a funeral takes place. The public has access starting at 1:00 pm until 6pm, at the head of the former president.
