Nicolae Ciuca: Romania-US Strategic Partnership has significantly contributed to Romanian Armed Forces development

The Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US is one of the pillars that our country's defence is based on and has significantly contributed to Romanian Armed Forces development, Interim Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said at the US Embassy, on the occasion of his being awarded the Legion of Merit (in rank of officer). Reserve General Nicolae Ciuca was awarded the Legion of Merit (in rank of officer) by US Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman, in the presence of President Klaus Iohannis and National Liberal Party (PNL) Chairman Ludovic Orban, in acknowledgement of the merits during his activity as Chief of the Defence Staff, in the period January 2015 - December 2019. "It is an honour for me to receive this distinction. Each of us, military or civilian, in the institutions we carry out our activity, we are in the service of the citizen, in the service of the country, and the distinction granted today is an acknowledgement of the merits of the entire personnel of Romania's Army, an acknowledgment of everyone's sustained work. I am here today only as representative of those who offered their most precious gifts - their time, their health and even their life - for the fulfillment of the missions entrusted by the country," Ciuca said on Tuesday, at the ceremony organised at the US Embassy on the occasion of his decoration awarding. He added that no commander, no matter how good, can win a battle without a strong army by his side. "For those who wear the military uniform, team work is very important and I want, on this occasion as well, to thank my comrades, part of them are present here in the hall, the others are on duty in the country and in the theatres of operations, and assure them of high respect and consideration. In my activity I have always put the good of the structure and the institution I was part of. I have constantly acted to promote and support them and I am positive that this is the only way to reaching the own and institutional goals, at the same time being the guarantee of a real perception, including in the multinational environment," Ciuca said. The interim PM underscored that the multinational environment had a very big impact in the process of transforming and modernizing Romania's Army. "To me, the missions in the theatres of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq together with the US servicemen were moments when I understood we have to be proud of us because we are professionals and dedicated to fulfilling missions, that we have potential and that we must capitalise on it through an efforts of will and ambition, elements that need to be passed on from generation to generation. I didn't think back then that I would be chief of Defence or that, one day, after years, I will be honoured with the highest US distinction that a foreign military can receive. Nonetheless, my entire career has definitely been influenced by the experience I lived there, in the first line, with the Romanian servicemen and our allies in the US, whom I am grateful to, because together we accumulated great part of the experience needed for the transformation and modernisation of Romania," Ciuca also said. The United States has consistently supported Romania and the military on the difficult path of meeting NATO-specific standards, he added. "The strategic partnership between our countries is one of the pillars on which the defense of our country is based, it has significantly contributed to the development of the Armed Forces," Ciuca underlined. The interim head of the Executive has reiterated that the Legion of Merit awarded to him is a recognition of teamwork and that all those with whom he has worked over time deserve the merit of being awarded this distinction. "I know what the Legion of Merit symbolises, but I believe, once again, that it represents a recognition of the teamwork, of all those with whom I have worked over time and they deserve, equally, the merit of this award. Thank you for the permanent and robust support you show to our country, Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman, and for the honor of receiving this medal, thank you on behalf of the entire staff of the Romanian Army," Ciuca said. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Florin Marin; EN - editor: Adina Panaitescu)