President Iohannis: Anniversary of modern Romania's foundation, an opportunity to draw inspiration from the past

The 165th anniversary of the founding of modern Romania represents "an opportunity to draw inspiration from the valuable lessons of the past to design a better future for our nation", president Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday, at the ceremony organized at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Monument in Bucharest's Carol I Park, on the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities"The election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as the ruler of Moldova and the Romanian Country achieved the de facto Union of the two principalities and represented the opening of an irreversible path. This was the essential step that made possible our national ideal, the unity of all Romanians, accomplished through The Great Union from Alba Iulia in 1918. The union of the two Romanian principalities into one state was achieved by renouncing political pride, an exemplary way of putting the interest of the people above personal interests," Iohannis said."Major diplomatic efforts were made at that time and there was financial support of an impressive scale through the active involvement of the great personalities of the time, who campaigned for the ideals of union beyond the borders and strongly advocated the national cause before Great Powers. Ion Ghica, Nicolae Balcescu, Dumitru and Ion C. Bratianu, the Golescu brothers, Mihail Kogalniceanu, Vasile Alecsandri, C.A. Rosetti, Barbu Catargiu and Costache Negri are among the prominent figures with a significant contribution to the transformation of the dream of union into reality and to strengthening the national consciousness. Through their decision, through the skill of finding original political solutions, they managed to obtain the agreement of the Great Powers who, faced with the fait accompli, could no longer oppose the will of a people who wanted the union at any cost. The enthusiasm which the news of the double election was received with in the two principalities represents the best confirmation of the fact that the union was not only an ideal of political leaders, but also a desire strongly rooted in the souls of Romanians. And the merit of the elites of the time was that they understood these aspirations of the people," Iohannis assessed."The new ruler assumed his Forty-eighters' wishes, carried out the reforms long awaited by the Romanians on both sides of the (river that was dividing Wallachia from Moldavia, ed. n.) Milcov and laid the foundations of modern, European-type institutions. In just a few years of his reign, Cuza promoted a three-tiered education system levels, which introduced compulsory and free primary schooling, developed a new Civil Code and a new Criminal Code, appropriated and emancipated the peasants, reformed the judicial and fiscal systems, reorganized the administration and modernized the army. At the same time, during this period the first modern universities in Romania were also established: in (northeaster) Iasi, in 1860, and in Bucharest, in 1864," Klaus Iohannis stressed."The historic decision of January 24, 1859 was a conscious choice of our collective course. In the spirit of solidarity, Romanians from the two principalities demonstrated then that unity is the force that transcends any challenge. The international context of those times was a difficult one, but the political class gave, with intelligence and courage, a tailored answer, placing the country above personal or party interests. The year 2024, in turn, has a special burden, being the year in which the elections for which we are called to the polls will shape Romania of tomorrow. In a full of challenges contemporary world, it is essential that we responsibly exercise our democratic right to elect politicians who will serve the nation with devotion, just as our forefathers did. In 1859, the geopolitical conditions were difficult, and the population had legitimate aspirations. Today, when Europe and the whole world are once again facing multiple challenges, the citizens expect a clear and unequivocal direction from the politicians, which will maintain unchanged the direction towards prosperity, development and modernization that Romania has embarked on," the president said.The achievements of ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza must represent "a genuine source of inspiration and motivation for the current political class", Iohannis concluded.