Romania celebrated its National Day on Monday with a grand military parade of nearly 3,000 troops and exhibition of military equipment, in a show of strength and unity as Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine intensifies.
The capital, Bucharest, was the center of official ceremonies, to mark the re-unification iof Romania in 1918 when Transylvania was incorporated into the provinces of Wallachia and Moldova after World War I when Romania fought on the winning side.
In a nod to the ongoing war, now in its fourth year, President Nicusor Dan offered a single honor to mark the National Day, to a 107-year-old war veteran, Colonel (ret.) Ion Vasile Banu who received the Order of Military Virtue in the rank of Knight.”.
“At 107 years old, Mr. Ion Vasile Banu represents the essence of what love for the country means,” the president said.
“We are and will remain obliged to honor those who defended our ideals of freedom at the cost of their lives, and thanks to them we live today in a free, dignified, democratic and European Romania,” he added.
Banu joined the Romanian Army at 21 years old when Romania was allied with the Axis powers against the Soviet Union and in 1941 fought for the liberation of Moldova, known as Bessarabia in Romanian, which was in Soviet hands. He also fought against the Soviets on the front at the Don Bend in 1942.
Last week, NATO scrambled jets as Russian drones made their deepest incursion into Romania since the beginning of the war. Fighter jets track two uncrewed aircraft in first daytime violation of Romanian airspace.
German Typhoon and Romanian F-16 fighter jets took off in pairs to follow the uncrewed aircraft. The first flew back into Ukrainian airspace, but the second was later found downed in eastern Romania about 110 kilometers from Ukraine. It was the 13th time Romanian airspace has been breached by Russian drones.
Former Defense Minister Ionuț Moşteanu said two of the German pilots had been given orders to shoot down the second drone, but it appeared to have crashed, possibly because it had run out fuel.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu was among the first foreign leaders to offer her congratulations. She said the reunification of Romania in 1918 gave the Romanian people the chance to live united in peace, freedom, and democracy.
The Romanians “have always been by our side during the difficult moments we’ve faced,” she said.
She also expressed gratitude for Romania’s support and generosity to Moldova in its development and modernization path of joining the European Union.
With Romania’s support, projects in the Republic of Moldova are being implemented to connect to European infrastructure and the energy system:
“Projects that would not be possible without Romania’s support and generosity, for which we are grateful – as we are grateful for all the help we receive from Bucharest, who have always been by our side during the difficult moments we have faced,” she said.
The U.S State Department congratulated Romania which is a strategic regional partner and NATO Ally.
“On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of Romania on your National Day. The United States and Romania share a strong and growing partnership built on shared strategic interests in security, energy cooperation, and trade.
As you celebrate the anniversary of your unification, we commend Romania’s regional leadership and encourage your continued role in promoting stability across the Black Sea region. Romania’s pledge to commit 5 percent of its GDP to defense by 2035 will strengthen the NATO Alliance and establish a foundation for growing prosperity for years to come. The United States looks forward to continued defense cooperation and growing trade and investments that benefit both our nations.”
