Iohannis: National Anthem Day, moment we look forward with confidence and optimism to nation's future

President Klaus Iohannis passed on a message on Monday on the occasion of Romania's National Anthem Day, stating that this is the moment when "we look forward with confidence and optimism to the future of our nation." 

"On July 29, we celebrate, as every year, the National Anthem Day, one of the national symbols that inspire our sense of solidarity and the pride of being Romanian. 'Desteapta-te, romane! / Awaken, Thee Romanian' reflects our history, struggles and traditions, and serves at the same time as an expression of national identity. (...) 'National Anthem Day' is, at the same time, the moment when we look forward with confidence and optimism to the future of our nation, one in which we want to enjoy an extended national security within the great Euro-Atlantic family, prosperity, democracy and a functioning and efficient rule of law," reads the message, according to a press release of the Presidential Administration. 

The president says that ever since the Revolution of 1848, the national anthem has sent a mobilizing message to the Romanian nation to enter a new world by awakening the national consciousness and having its traditions as benchmark. 

"The words of the anthem have boosted the Romanians' efforts to follow and fulfill the ideals of freedom and unity. Today's feast is a good opportunity to invoke the virtues of our forefathers, as well as to remember their glorious deeds. Their spirit of sacrifice, abnegation and patriotism are human qualities that underlie our becoming as a modern and democratic nation," says Iohannis. 

He shows that three decades ago, Romania returned to the Western family and subsequently became a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, the European Union and a strategic partner of the United States of America. 

"Today, the Romanian state actively contributes to the strengthening of the transatlantic relationship and promotes the mutual respect, common values and interests that bring the European Union closer to its partner, the United States," said President Klaus Iohannis.