Festivities occasioned by the National Day of France are this year being attended by honoured military guests from Eastern Europe, including 12 from Romania as a token of gratitude for these countries’ efforts to defend NATO’s eastern flank against the background of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. According to Radio Romania correspondent in Paris, France wants thus to convey a message of unity to NATO allies as well as a strong message of solidarity with Ukraine. The festivities are this year unfolding under the motto ‘Partager la flame’ (Divide the Flame) with a double significance: to pay homage to Hubert Germain, the last member of the French resistance against the Nazi occupation who died this year, and to hail the Olympic flame ahead the Olympic Games Paris is due to stage in 2024. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has today sent President Macron a letter of congratulation and wishes of prosperity for the French people. Iohannis has underlined the solidity and consistency of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and France, built on common values and excellent cooperation both at the bilateral level and within the EU and other international bodies. The French Embassy in Bucharest will mark the event through a reception, which is to be attended by Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and by Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, state secretary for development, Francophonie, and International Partnerships with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
