<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The El Alcázar Military Residence in Madrid, dependent on the Spanish Ministry of Defense, hosted this Thursday, October 24, the celebration of the Romanian Army Day, in which tribute was paid to Romania's contribution to NATO on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of this country's accession to the Alliance.</strong></h4> Among those attending the event were representatives of the Spanish central authorities, senior officials of the Spanish Ministry of Defence, members of the leadership of all categories of the Spanish armed forces, military attachés and members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Madrid, as well as Romanian officers on mission in Spain, the Romanian Embassy reported in a press release. At the opening of the event, Raluca Mihăilă, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Romanian Embassy, highlighted Romania's role as an active provider of security within the North Atlantic Alliance and underlined the essential contribution of the Romanian Army to the defence of the values and principles of peace, freedom and democracy in the theatres of operations in which the Romanian military operates, "with loyalty, courage and dedication". The head of the diplomatic mission also praised the excellent cooperation between Romania and Spain in the military and security field, “a true example of allied solidarity”, which also contributes to “the creation of a stronger and more influential external image of the European Union and NATO on the international scene”. For his part, the Romanian Defence Attaché in Madrid, Colonel Florin Liuță, underlined the importance of cooperation and the exchange of knowledge between the two countries, while reaffirming Romania's commitment to continue working side by side with Spain to strengthen security and peace in the transatlantic area. He also presented Romania's contribution, as a strong and responsible ally, to maintaining security and stability, with particular attention to the Black Sea region. On the sidelines of this celebration, the Romanian Embassy in the Kingdom of Spain, with the support of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in collaboration with the national press agency AGERPRES, presented a special exhibition of photographs illustrating Romania's history in NATO, in the 20 years since its accession. The exhibition includes images of the signing of the accession treaty, of the NATO missions in which Romania has participated over the years, of the Alliance Summit organised in Bucharest in 2008 and photographs that capture the excellent military cooperation between Romania and Spain within the Alliance. “These images are an opportunity to reflect on Romania's contribution to international security and stability, as well as to underline the importance of strengthening bilateral relations within NATO,” said the Embassy. “Romanian Army Day is celebrated every year on October 25 to commemorate the bravery of the Romanian troops who, with struggle and sacrifice, liberated the last occupied towns in the west of the country in the autumn of 1944,” he added. [caption id="attachment_98689" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-98689 size-jnews-750x375" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rumania-Ejercito-2-750x375.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="375" /> The event attracted numerous attendees.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_98691" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-98691 size-jnews-750x375" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rumania-Ejercito-3-750x375.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="375" /> Speech by the Romanian Defence Attaché in Madrid, Colonel Florin Liuță.[/caption]