National Day celebrations

Spectacular military parades were held on the 1st of December to celebrate Romanias National Day in many towns and cities across the country. The authorities also staged concerts and festivities and tens of thousands of people took advantage of the sunny day to go out and watch the parades.

Mihai Pelin, 02.12.2016, 13:28

Spectacular military parades were held on the 1st of December to celebrate Romanias National Day in many towns and cities across the country. The authorities also staged concerts and festivities and tens of thousands of people took advantage of the sunny day to go out and watch the parades.

The biggest parade was held in Bucharest and involved 3,000 military and experts from the defence and interior ministries and the Romanian Intelligence Service and hundreds of pieces of equipment and tens of planes, including the famous F-16 multi-role aircraft, the latest purchase by the Romanian Air Forces.

This year, the parade in Bucharest also paid tribute to the heroes of WWI given the 100th anniversary of Romanias entering the war. Military detachments from Germany, the UK, Italy and Slovakia took part in the parade for the first time. Military from the Republic of Moldova, Poland, the US and Spain also took part in the festivities.

The National Day was also celebrated abroad through a host of cultural events organised by the branches of the Romanian Cultural Institute in collaboration with Romanias diplomatic missions. The National Day, which celebrates the day of the Great Union, is a call to unity, solidarity and national pride, said president Klaus Iohannis in his special address. He added that this day recalls us every year that the Romanian nation has the strength to fulfil its great ideals despite adverse historical circumstances.

Klaus Iohannis: “I would like to convey Romanians a personal message: never doubt yourselves and Romania, dont let anyone question the values of our people, have faith in your strength and greatness. I believe that looking back at the past century we have a lot to be proud of and acknowledge our fulfilment as a nation.

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said 1st of December 1918 is a miracle of history behind which there are people who could dream and tenaciously fought for the ideal of the Union. The politicians attending the military parade in Bucharest also conveyed special National Day messages.

The Romanians also received congratulations on behalf of the American people from president Barack Obama. The authorities in Washington emphasised that the USs strategic partnership with Romania is very important and that Bucharest remains a reliable partner within NATO, which plays a significant contribution to international peace and security. (Translated by Cristina Mateescu)