Romanian Soldiers on International Missions

On Sunday, four Romanian soldiers, members of the 'White Sharks' Infantry Battalion were wounded in Afghanistan.

Corina Cristea, 26.09.2016, 14:25

Carried out under the aegis of NATO, the
EU or the UN, or as part of a coalition, the missions that Romanian soldiers
are on are the expression of Bucharest’s commitments as a member of the
international community. These are counter-terrorism missions, as well as
peace-keeping and humanitarian missions. Most of the Romanian soldiers, 629,
are currently deployed in Afghanistan, under NATO’s command, in one of the most
difficult regions, Kandahar.

It’s the place where on Sunday four Romanian
soldiers were wounded in the explosion of an improvised device, while on patrol
mission. The four soldiers’ battalion, called the ‘White Sharks’, deployed in
Afghanistan since August, ensures the protection of the military base and
provides assistance to the Afghan security forces, reads a communiqué issued by
the Romanian Defense ministry. The four soldiers are now being treated in a
hospital in Kandahar, are stable and news about their condition is getting
better by the day, according to the Romanian Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc.

Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis has
voiced solidarity with the Romanian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan. To us,
who are at home, they are heroes risking their lives to maintain peace. We must
all be grateful for that. My heart is there with them and their families, and I
wish them to get better soon wrote the president on a social networking
website. Romania, as a member of NATO, has taken part in the war in Afghanistan
since 2001 on the side of the US-led coalition. So far, 25 Romanian soldiers
have died and over 100 have been wounded in this conflict area.

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, attending
the UN summit in New York, also talked about Romania’s contribution to keeping
peace. Romania remains engaged in the UN’s effort to maintain international peace and security said the Prime
Minister at the UN General Assembly, recalling that Romanian military and
police are currently taking part in ten peace-keeping operations. The
deterioration of regional stability is reason to worry, the Romanian official
also said in his speech, adding that such conflicts are barriers in the way of
prosperity and observing international law principles and norms.

The Prime Minister also stood for supporting the peace-keeping
process in the Middle East, stating that Romania will continue to allocate
political, diplomatic, financial and human resources to maintain regional and
global stability.