Speech by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Ukraine, His Excellency Mr. Alexandru Victor Micula, December 19, 2024.

Distinguished representatives of national, regional and local authorities of Ukraine,

Distinguished representatives of the diplomatic corps, academic community and business associations of Ukraine,

Distinguished representatives of cultural and artistic associations of the Romanian community in Ukraine,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am honored to be here today, in Kyiv, to mark, together with you, the National Day of Romania. This is to remind us of those ordinary people who, at the end of the First World War, laid the foundations of the modern Romanian state, as we know it today.

In the context of the collapse of empires that, during several centuries, imposed their will on Romanians, often by force, thousands of Romanians congregated in public gatherings in order to decide, together, their common future in a state that would not be subject to the dictates and whims of foreign powers, among which some even tried to erase our national identity.

Our achievements since then are already known. The Romanian state had periods of prosperity and of stagnation. We have accumulated chapters in our history of which we are proud of and dark chapters that we acknowledge, assume our responsibility for and from which we have learned to be better.

Wars and dictatorships did not avoid us, as they did not avoid others either, but we have always managed, together, to overcome the cataclysms and to rebuild, always better, having in mind future generations of Romanians.

Today, Romania is a democratic country that places on the first place the respect for fundamental human rights, freedom of expression and of conscience, the rule of law and the well-being of the Romanian citizens.

Today, Romania is a member of the EU and NATO, which supports multilateralism and promotes the respect for international law.

When thinking about those Romanians who have laid the foundations for what we are today, we cannot help but think of the Ukrainians who also closed their ranks aiming at turning into reality the dream of the Ukrainians to have their own country, where they can decide on their own future, speak their own language without fear, and honor their ancestors and heroes.

As a Romanian, I understand the dreams of those who, in January 1919, gathered in the square of Saint Sophia in Kyiv to proclaim their independence from the former empires. Their struggle for self-determination had begun long before, continued and is still going on.

They had to face the attempts of the muscovite empire to falsify their history, to deny them the right to their mother tongue, culture and existence. They had to face the Holodomor, the Holocaust, deportations, torture, political persecution, mass murders and military aggression, which continues to this day.

Nonetheless, these tragedies did not break them, but made them stronger and more determined to fight for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Their struggle awakens the admiration and solidarity of those who also had to fight against foreign oppression.

Today, many men and women from all the regions of Ukraine, many of them ethnic Romanians, are fighting in the front lines in order to allow us to be free and safe.

They fight against the dictator who publicly declared his admiration for the one who caused the Holodomor, ordered the execution and deportation of hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of these lands, including Romanians, and has assumed the role of disciple and promoter of the Stalinist criminal doctrine.

Many men and women who took up arms to fight against the muscovite aggressor, including ethnic Romanians, gave their lives for us, and we must honor their memory and support fulfilling the dreams they fought for, and for fulfilling these dreams, Ukraine can count on Romania.

We will work together so that the dream of an independent and sovereign Ukraine, that is in full control of its territory, where democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights are guaranteed, and which is part of the EU and NATO, alongside Romania, becomes a reality.

Long life, Romania!

Long life, Ukraine!