Zubair Qureshi
The Romanian and the Pakistani Armed Forces are enjoying excellent cooperation in the defence sector and this engagement has developed over the years into a true and mutually strong and beneficial partnership.
These views were expressed by Acting Ambassador of Romania Mr Eduard-Robert Preda at a reception marking the Armed Forces day of Romania. Air Marshal Irfan Ahmad of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was the Chief Guest on the occasion while a good number of the members of the diplomatic corps, notable personalities of the town including parliamentarians, members of civil society and academia and European nationals attended the event and greeted Eduard Preda, Defence Attache Col CristianRaducu, their spouses and the Romanian nationals on the auspicious day.
A cake was also cut on the occasion and national anthems of the two countries were played.
In his welcome speech, the acting ambassador said on October 25 each year, Romania celebrated the Day of the Romanian Armed Forces. Celebration of the Romanian Army Day has a special meaning, focused on the idea of respect for fallen heroes, he said adding, historically, the decision to celebrate the Romanian Army Day on October 25th was a long process that reflects the various stages of the Romanian Army development in the second half of the 20th century as well as its contributions on various fronts of the First and Second World Wars.
About the Romania-Pakistan bilateral relations particularly in the defence sector, he said since time did not allow him to go into details yet he would like to highlight that the Pakistani Navy would soon receive their third patrol vessel built at Damen Shipyard Galati, Romania.
The vessels would provide the Pakistani Navy with highly effective search and rescue capabilities that would allow it to play an important role in safeguarding international trade routes from piracy and other threats like drugs and human trafficking or terrorism, he said.
Also, this year, between February 10 and 14, Romania participated in the 9th edition of the multinational naval exercise AMAN 2023, conducted by the Pakistan Naval Forces, held in the Arabian Sea, with 50 participating countries. The exercise helped participating navies to exchange their experience and knowledge and provided a platform to the participants to nurture their maritime capabilities.
About the Romanian armed forces, he said the Romanian Armed Forces, completely reformed and modernized up to the NATO and European Union standards, are assigned to foreign missions, contributing alongside with the allied and partner countries to the common effort of keeping peace and stability worldwide.
