Islamabad, 1 December 2021(TDI): On the occasion of the National Day of Romania, Ambassador Nicolae GOIA, Romanian Ambassador to Pakistan shared the following message on this important day.
“On 1st of December 2021, we celebrate the 103 years since the realization of our Great Union. One hundred and three years back, the century-long ideal of national unity has been achieved, building the foundation of the modern Romanian state. The anniversary of the Great Union has given us the opportunity to honor the memory of the sacrifices made for laying the foundation of new Romania which ultimately placed us in the midst of a great European family.
The end of the First World War and the armistice concluded in 1918, represents a crucial moment in the history of mankind causing deep changes both in international relations and at the socio-cultural level. Like every year on this occasion, I would like to emphasise that we, in Romania and in Europe, will always remember that 1,1 million soldiers from the subcontinent had fought courageously and heroically in different battlefields of WWI and 60.000 of them, mostly from today Pakistani Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had paid the ultimate price in defending the ideals of peace, freedom, liberty, dignity, democracy and fundamental human rights. Today we pay tribute and honour them as much as we honour our heroes!
More than 100 years after the Great Union, Romania reaffirms its attachment to the principles of international law, promotion of mutual respect and good understanding, to dialogue and to multiculturalism, values that are the basis of its international profile and external action.
Today, Romania is a security provider and enjoys unprecedented development, security, and welfare. Our collective duty is to protect these values and secure them in the medium and long term, as well as to prepare for challenges ahead.
The keyword of the Romanian European policy is union and with this call to unity we successfully exercised two years back our first ever mandate at the Presidency of the EU Council. Romania takes every possible opportunity to show that our profound European vocation is bringing a tangible contribution to a powerful, credible and inclusive Europe.
We are attaching a great value to the idea of cohesion, a common European value, reflecting the imperious need for unity and cooperation among the EU Member States, as well as the need for more economic, social and territorial cohesion as enshrined in the EU Treaties.
The anniversary of the Great Union is a good reminder and an incentive towards Romania pleading for more unity at the European level. As a responsible member of the European Union, we fully proved our capacity to build consensus and find efficient and viable solutions for our common European future.
Pakistan represents an important partner for Romania in the South Asian region. We acknowledge Pakistan’s efforts in fighting terrorism, militancy, and radical extremism and hope that these endeavors will continue to be an important part of the international war on terror.
In spite of these challenges, which obviously affected the advancement of many economic projects, we welcome the positive dynamics of the Pakistani economy, which are witnessing despite the obstacle created by the pandemic situation, a steady and robust economic growth, as well the opportunities created for the foreign companies interested in doing business in Pakistan.
We are eager to work with our Pakistani friends and partners for taking forward the bilateral agenda, as well as the cooperation within the EU-Pakistan framework and in multilateral formats, especially in the UN.
I warmly welcome the spirit of Romania-Pakistan relations, characterized by friendship and collaboration and the new dynamism witnessed in recent years with a result-driven political dialogue reflecting a clear desire of both states for developing a pragmatic relationship in fields of mutual interests.
Maybe this is as good a moment as any to deeply thank the Pakistani authorities for the valuable support we received in our operations to evacuate Romanians and other nationals from war-torn Afghanistan this summer. The empathy and solidarity shown by our Pakistani partners were exemplary and will never be forgotten.
We are living in a complicated period of mankind’s history, over the past two years, the challenges the world is facing have multiplied many folds particularly by the Covid 19. In the fierce battle with the pervert virus, we have lost so many precious lives and there is so much pain and suffering that we need solidarity more than ever before to win this absurd and illogical war and to have our lives back.
In concluding my short remarks, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you present here for so graciously accepting to respond to our invitation and celebrate together this glorious event in our history. Many thanks to all those true friends who contributed in more than one way to the success of tonight’s reception. Thank you. God bless you all.
*On the occasion of the Romanian National day, the Diplomatic Insight Group extends warm felicitations for the people of Romania.
