The Diplomat
The Romanian Army Representative Band and the Guardia Civil Music Unit gave a joint concert on Monday at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid, on the eve of the first Spanish-Romanian summit, which is being held today in Castellón de la Plana.
The concert was organised by the Romanian Embassy, in collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Madrid, and was attended by some 1,300 people, including representatives of the Spanish authorities – such as the Director General of the Civil Guard, María Gámez -, the academic and business community, the Diplomatic and Consular Corps accredited in Spain and members of the local Romanian community.
In what is the hall of the RTVE Orchestra, the two bands performed famous pieces from the national and international repertoire, under the baton of the conductors, Colonel Aurel Gheorghiță and Lieutenant Colonel Jaime Ismael Enguídanos. Beyond the programme performed, the two military bands offered a symbolic image of cohesion.
The Romanian ambassador to Spain, George Gabriel Bologan, spoke about European solidarity at the beginning of the event, which was organised to celebrate Romania’s National Day on 1 December, and the celebration of what will be the first bilateral Spanish-Romanian summit, attended by the heads of government of both countries and fourteen ministers.
“By organising this concert around the military bands, Romania and Spain are sending, above all, a strong message of shared commitment to strengthening European and transatlantic unity and solidarity, at a historic moment that shows us that peace and prosperity should never be taken for granted,” said the ambassador.
George Bologan went on to underline that “at a time marked by geopolitical imbalances, the joint government meeting between Romania and Spain, countries at opposite ends of the European Union, is an example of friendship that knows no geographical boundaries and an expression of the common will to identify, through dialogue and collaboration, viable solutions to the common challenges that we must face, since we share a common destiny”.
After referring to the “friendship and privileged relations” between the peoples of Spain and Romania, the Ambassador also recalled that this year marks four decades since Spain joined NATO and that our country is preparing to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2023.
Bologan concluded by thanking the sponsors and collaborators for making possible the coming together of the two marching bands, “an exceptional event,” he said, “both in Spain and in Romania”. “We have demonstrated once again that teamwork leads to the construction of successful projects in support of the community, while highlighting the close cultural and historical ties between our countries,” he concluded.
