December 1, 2015 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 01.12.2015, 19:46

Over 2,600 troops and
military specialists, with 360 technical devices, paraded in Bucharest on
December 1st, Romania’s National Day. As a first, the parade was joined by a
detachment from the theater of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some of the
attractions of the parade were the armored vehicles, the Hercules and Spartan
fighters and the helicopters. Also, this year the traditional parade of the
Romanian army was joined by troops from the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, the
US, Poland and Turkey. Romania’s national day was celebrated not only in
Bucharest, but everywhere in the country, and also at the Romanian diplomatic
missions around the world, through concerts, exhibitions, film screenings and
receptions. December 1st became Romania’s National Day after the anti-communist
Revolution of 1989, and marks the completion in 1918 of the process of setting
up the Romanian unitary state, by aggregating under Bucharest’s authority all
the provinces with predominantly Romanian-speaking populations from the neighboring
multi-national empires.

This year’s December 1st
could mark a new beginning for Romania, with regard to its common practices,
behaviors and mentalities, said in a message to Romanians President Klaus Iohannis, who also stressed
the fact that a new beginning was necessary in Romanian politics. According to
the Romanian head of state, a new beginning would entail new ideas, new
approaches and new behaviors, while at the same time maintaining the stability
and balance of the Romanian political system. December 1st is not
just a celebration of the past, it’s an opportunity for Romania to focus more
on the present, on its place in Europe and the world, Iohannis went on saying.
In a world in which war and terror seem to have gained significant ground,
Romania is a provider of certainty and predictability, thanks to its democratic
values and its solid partnerships within the EU and NATO, the president also
said in his message. After the parade, Iohannis had a videoconference with the
soldiers deployed in theatres of operations abroad and attended several
ceremonies devoted to Romania’s National Day. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos too
sent a message to all Romanians, both in the country and abroad, urging them to
join efforts and help make Romania a better country, a country ruled on the
basis of such principles as decency and transparency.

The US Secretary of State,
John Kerry, congratulated the Romanian people, on behalf of President Barack
Obama, on their National Day, pleading at the same time for even tighter
relations between Romania and the US. In a communiqué issued by the US
Department of State, John Kerry recalls that 2015 marks the celebration of 135
years since the beginning of diplomatic relations between the US and Romania,
countries united by a friendship built on their joint commitment to promoting
democracy and the rule of law, to ensuring citizens’ prosperity, through solid
trading relations and investments, as well as to securing a free and united
Europe. The US Secretary of State has stated that the US is proud its soldiers
have participated in missions alongside their Romanian mates, driven by the
same goal of defending freedom and justice in various parts of the world.

Romanian
Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu attended in Brussels on Tuesday the Resolute
Support meeting, organized as part of the summit of the NATO Foreign
Ministers. The participants discussed security in Afghanistan, NATO’ s support to
the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and means of carrying on NATO’s commitment
to Afghanistan. The importance of NATO’s cooperation with other international
organizations, the UN and the EU in particular, was also stressed at the
meeting. On the sidelines of the event, Lazar Comanescu had a meeting with his
Polish counterpart Witold Waszczykowski.

The Command unit of the NATO
Multinational Division Southeast was officially activated in Bucharest on
Tuesday. The setting up of this NATO control structure follows the activation
in September of the NATO Force Integration Unit. The two structures will ensure
a visible and consistent NATO presence in Romania and will play a key-role in
ensuring the connection between the national and the allied forces. In another
move, the Pentagon has announced that some 70 US military pieces of equipment
arrived in Romania on Tuesday, from Germany. Other pieces will be shipped in
late December to Bulgaria and Lithuania. Early this year, during a visit to
Estonia, the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced that the US would
temporary station vehicles and pieces of equipment in Central and Eastern
Europe, sufficient to support an armored brigade. Their deployment would
facilitate the rotation of the US forces in the region and their participation
in exercises and training missions.

On Tuesday, the Royal Train took a
symbolical trip along the Drobeta -Turnu Severin – Bucharest route, as did King
Carol 1st of Romania 150 years ago. The train passed through the
counties of Mehedinti, Dolj, Olt and Dambovita, and thousands of people saluted
Princess Margareta, Princes Maria and Prince Radu, who were on the train. On
May 8th, 1866, Carol stepped for the first time on Romanian soil in
Turnu Severin. On the 10th of May he entered Bucharest and the
Romanian Constitution was adopted on June 29th. The Royal Train,
made in Italy, started serving the Royal House of Romania in 1928, during the
first reign of Mihai 1st. It was used by both King Carol 2nd
and Mihai 1st, and during the communist period it was used as a
presidential train.