Acting DefMin: Freedom, for which soldiers sacrificed their lives can last as long as we value it

Freedom, in the name of the Romanian soldiers that sacrificed their lives in theaters of operation, in the last 30 years, can last only as long as valued and defended, was the message sent on Thursday by the acting Minister of Defence, Nicolae Ciuca, on the occasion of Veteran's Day, agerpres reports.

He took part in a ceremony where he placed wreaths at the Monument of Heroes fallen in Theaters of Operations and in Romania, which is the Tineretului Park in the Capital.

"Let us remember the veterans every day, not just on the occasion of such events, whether this is about Romanian soldiers from the Second World War or those that took part in mission in theaters of operations. It is important to collaborate in order to keep the legacy left by the veterans, along with the fundamental values supported by the soldiers who participated in Romania's most difficult missions in Somalia and Angola, in the West Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq and Mali," the head of Defence wrote on Facebook.

The Minister added that veterans from theaters of operations "risked everything for our safety".

On the occasion of Veteran's Day, an internet page has been launched, dedicated to the foreign missions where soldiers of the Romanian army took part: misiuni.mapn.ro. Here, missions and active operations are presented, on sections, such as the ones in Poland, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina or the Mediterranean Sea, as well as those already concluded - Afghanistan, Iraq.

Veteran's Day was established by law in 2014 and its purpose is recognizing the merits of the participants of the Army personnel in military actions and granting them rights, as well as to the descendants of those fallen. The date was chosen for its symbolism: On November 11, 1918, at 11:00, the Truce between the powers of Triple Entente and Germany came into effect, where the First World War was ended and the necessary conditions were created to establish the Great Union of Romania, on December 1st, 1918.

The significance of this day for the Romanian army is also tied to the fact that on November 11, 2003, second lieutenant Iosif Silviu Fogorasi fell in action, the first Romanian soldier that died in the theaters of operations in Afghanistan.

During the period of 1996-2021, Romania has lost 30 soldiers in missions executed in theaters of operations, and another 200 were injured.