Defence Minister Ciuca: Romania succeeded earning partners' respect through mission in Afghanistan

Romania succeeded earning the respect of its partners through its mission in Afghanistan, the Minister of National Defence, Nicolae Ciuca, told AGERPRES on Wednesday, after the military ceremony organized at the Triumphal Arch Square at the end of the respective mission. "For Romania (...) it is a moment of gratitude for the manner in which the troops fulfilled their 19-year mission, a moment when we honour the memory of those who lost their lives, and also a moment when all those who were directly involved will draw a line and identify all these elements that had an impact on the profile of the Romanian Army, will identify those problems, those lessons, as we call them, which will later turn into decisions that can be acknowledged at the level of the entire army, from soldier to unit, from unit to larger unit and up to the highest level of leadership of the ministry. (...) Romania has learned that when it is part of an alliance, of a coalition, it has all the ingredients needed to consolidate a trust profile within these structures, it learned that nothing is free, everything has a cost," said Nicolae Ciuca. He underscored that Romania has made efforts at the national level, paid with human lives, but also financial costs, earning the respect of its allies. According to the minister, Romania's participation in the NATO Resolute Support mission in the theatre of operations in Afghanistan cost about 3 billion lei. Nicolae Ciuca thanked all those who supported the Ministry of Defence in the 19 years of mission in Afghanistan, colleagues from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the troops and their families, as well as those who participated in Wednesday's ceremony at the Triumphal Arch, including President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Florin Citu, the President of the Senate, Anca Dragu, and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Ludovic Orban. AGERPRES (RO - author: Iulia Carciog, editor: Claudia Stanescu, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)