President Klaus Iohannis conveyed a message on Tuesday, on the occasion of the Day of the National Minorities of Romania, highlighting the „determination” with which they are engaged in the effort to keep the country on its European and Euro-Atlantic path.

„Dear representatives of the national minorities in Romania, thank you for the determination with which you are engaged in our common effort to keep Romania on its European and Euro-Atlantic path, consolidating the democracy that we have regained after decades of dictatorship and totalitarianism, through sacrifice, through faith in our free and dignified destiny! I wish you all that this feast of the whole of Romania may be a source of inspiration, an exhortation to mobilize our energies to find new ways of development, an opportunity to consecrate our good coexistence at home and in Europe,” said the president, in the message presented by state adviser Catalina Galer, at an event organized at the Palace of Parliament.

The Day of the National Minorities of Romania celebrates „the strong bond, passed down over generations, between all the citizens of our country, who, regardless of their ethnicity, have shared their identity and specific values to build together a united nation state and a homeland of good coexistence”, the president’s message further reads.

Klaus Iohannis wishes „Happy Anniversary!” to all those belonging to the Albanian, Armenian, Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Jewish, Greek, German, Italian, Macedonian, Hungarian, Polish, Roma, Russian, Russian-Lipovan, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovak, Tatar, Turkish and Ukrainian minorities.

The president deemed the national minorities and their representatives in Parliament as „valuable” dialogue partners, „responsible” collaborators, who have participated in ensuring a climate of peace, stability and social trust, as well as in achieving strategic objectives for our nation.

„Each minority has given Romania, throughout its history, outstanding personalities, who have contributed with vision and generosity to the fulfillment of the national destiny, to the development of the modern Romanian state, in which the defense and respect for the rights of persons belonging to national minorities occupy a central place. I trust that the minorities in our country will continue to cultivate common European values and will remain dedicated to the vision of an inclusive, democratic Romania, in which tolerance and respect will always prevail over violence and hatred, discrimination and xenophobia. In the current geopolitical situation, it is imperative to remain united, to stand in solidarity with our fellow human beings affected by war and multiple crises,” president Iohannis further emphasized.

AGERPRES