Ambassador Preda acknowledges the exceptional professionalism of the Pakistani Army, the deep patriotism of its men and women in uniform, the sacrifices they made in fighting terrorism

Abid Raza

ISLAMABAD: Acting Ambassador of Romania Eduard Preda has said celebration of the Romanian Army Day has a special meaning, focused on the idea of respect for fallen heroes. Historically, the decision to celebrate the Romanian Army Day on October 25th was a long process that reflects the various stages of the Romanian Army development in the second half of the XX century as well as its contributions on various fronts of the First and Second World Wars.

Therefore, the 25 of October is symbolizing the day in which the entire Romanian territory was liberated by the Romanian Army during the Second World War, on 25 October 1944.

He expressed these views while speaking on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day of Romania. Air Marshal Irfan Ahmed of Pakistan Air Force was the chief guest.

Ambassador Preda further said, Army Day crowns through its symbolism a whole series of anniversary moments, attended not only by those dressed in military uniform, but by all segments of our society. It became a date with special significance in the calendar of celebration days in Romania.

‘Today, Romanian Armed Forces, completely reformed and modernized up to the NATO and European Union standards, are assigned to foreign missions, contributing alongside with the allied and partner countries to the common effort of keeping peace and stability worldwide. In compliance with the commitments deriving from the international treaties, agreements and memoranda whose signing party is, Romania had contingents of different sizes from all services – Army, Air and Naval Forces – available to multinational coalitions authorized to carry on peace support operations, humanitarian assistance, within the framework of UN, NATO, OSCE and EU-led Observing, Monitoring, Liaison and Training missions’.

He said for the Romanian Armed Forces, these years of contribution to foreign missions meant the maintenance, almost continuously, of a military force of variable size, integrated into UN, NATO and EU missions carried out in Africa and Asia, in the theatres of operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Western Balkans. Almost 40,000 Romanian troops took part in different operations and missions out of national borders, gathering a valuable professional experience extremely useful in the transformation and the cooperation enhancement process of the Romanian Armed Forces with their NATO and EU counterparts.

The contribution of the Romanian troops to the collective defence, peace keeping and restoration missions to enforce the UN Security Council Resolutions, of the international legislation and law reveals that the Romanian state complies consequently and in full faith with the commitments agreed with the allies and partners, according to the international legislation and treaties whose signing party Romania is, he added.

He said, ‘Today, unfortunately, we are living in a very complicated security environment. The challenges we have to deal with every day, along with the war going on at NATO, EU and Romanian borders, all these prove that we need to be ready to defend our common values and freedoms and grant security and stability’.

He said, Ukraine’s security means European and Euro-Atlantic security. In line with the NATO and European Union’s policy, Romania stands in full solidarity with the people and government of Ukraine in the heroic defence of their country, helping Ukraine to uphold its fundamental right to self-defence with unprecedented levels of support as a response to the Russian Federation’s full-scale, unprovoked and unlawful invasion of Ukraine

He said he was pleased to underline the excellent cooperation existing between Romanian and Pakistani Armed Forces which have developed over the years into a true and mutually partnership. Since there is not enough time to elaborate on the multifaceted and complex character of the cooperation, I will only mention that the Pakistani Navy will soon receive their third patrol vessel built at Damen Shipyard Galati, Romania. These vessels will provide the Pakistani Navy with highly effective search and rescue capabilities that will allow it to play an important role in safeguarding international trade routes from piracy and other threats like drugs and human trafficking or terrorism.

‘Also, this year, between February 10 and 14, Romania participated in the 9th edition of the multinational naval exercise AMAN 2023, conducted by the Pakistan Naval Forces, held in the Arabian Sea, with 50 participating countries. The Exercise helped participating navies to exchange their experience and knowledge and provided a platform to the participants to nurture their maritime capabilities’.

He acknowledged the exceptional professionalism of the Pakistani Army, the deep patriotism of its men and women in uniform, the sacrifices they made in fighting terrorism, their presence in multiple international coalitions authorized to participate in maintaining peace, humanitarian assistance and other operations meant to ease the sufferings of the people in different regions of the world.