President Klaus Iohannis affirms in a message conveyed on the occasion of the Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities that January 24 is a moment of stocktaking and reflection on the legacy left by forefathers.

„This celebration gives us the opportunity to pay a pious homage to all those who promoted the unionist ideals, who acted to achieve them, thus accomplishing the Unification of the Principalities. We also bow with gratitude to those who fought and sacrificed themselves for the building of the modern Romanian state. January 24 is a moment of stocktaking and reflection on the legacy left by our forefathers and on the responsibility we have to preserve and cultivate it,” reads the president’s message.

Iohannis recalls that 1859 was „an act of political will of members of the national elite”. They overcame their personal egos and divergent political orientations to realize a major ideal – the unification of all Romanians in a single state.

„The guiding example of the ‘pasoptisti’ [the ’48-ers’] was a benchmark of high morality for those who succeeded them and who made possible the other founding stages in our history – the declaration of Independence in 1877 and the Great Union of 1918. The generations that founded the modern Romanian nation-state in the 19th and early 20th centuries fought for Romania to become part of the European world, deeply attached to democratic values, and for our citizens to be guaranteed fundamental rights in a pluralist and prosperous society,” mentions the message.

The president emphasizes that now, just as 166 years ago, Romania is faced with multiple challenges, to which „the best solutions must be found so that the modernization of the Romanian state can continue and the prosperity and well-being of its citizens can remain guaranteed”. He also pointed out that the actions of the forefathers to achieve national ideals and the development of society were guided by principles such as national unity, solidarity and social cohesion and ensuring freedom in all its forms.

„With determination and courage, recent generations have carried forward the project of Romania’s consolidation, thus fulfilling the strategic priority objectives of being part of the European Union and NATO, the most powerful political and military alliance in history. In the current complicated political context, the Hora Dance of the Union, the symbol of the major historic moment of 1859, is a significant metaphor of the need for solidarity, tolerance and empathy in the face of crisis situations. That is why today, on the Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities, let us celebrate our national project of unity and let us not forget that democracy and freedom must be permanently defended, and the rights and freedoms of citizens must be respected every day in order not to fall prey to populism and extremism,” Klaus Iohannis further conveyed.

AGERPRES