Memorial Day marked in Bucharest. Rupp says Romania is one of US' strongest allies

Memorial Day, a celebration dedicated to US servicemen who died in the line of duty, was marked on Friday in Bucharest, with Deputy Chief of the US Mission in Romania Abigail Rupp pointing out, during the ceremony, that Romania is one of the strongest allies of the US. 

The ceremony took place at the American Heroes Monument in the Kiseleff Park, which pays homage to the 378 US servicemen who died on the territory of Romania during the World War II. 

Although in different camps in the first part of the war, the US is now proud that Romania is one of its strongest allies fighting along the US on battlefields everywhere in the world defending common values, Rupp said. 

In the context, the US official stressed the US commitment to global security. 

As the new US National Security Strategy states, a strong and free Europe, united by the shared principles of democracy, national sovereignty and the commitment to observe the Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, is vital to the common security, the deputy chief of Mission pointed out. 

In his turn, state secretary with the Ministry of National Defense Nicolae Nasta pointed out that "shoulder to shoulder, the Romanian and American soldiers prove solidarity against the danger, courage and the spirit of sacrifice." 

He brought to mind, in this regard, the joint missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

"The strategic partnership with the United States of America, together with NATO membership, are the fundamental pillars of Romania's national security and defense," the state secretary said. 

At the same time, he said that "bilateral cooperation in the field of military procurement is a powerful amplifier for the modernization of the Romanian armed forces". 

"We have already taken important steps in this direction as a result of the Government's commitment to spending 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product for Defense," Nasta said. 

Memorial Day is a federal official holiday in the US, marked on the last Monday of May. Also known in the past as Decoration Day, it commemorates American soldiers who died in combat or while on military service. 

The Monument in the Kiseleff Park was inaugurated on October 1, 2007 and was built with the support of a famous American institution - "The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts." Founded in 1638 to defend the British colonists, the company is considered the first military unit in the Western hemisphere. Over the past 300 years, its soldiers participated in the most important combats involving the United States - the battles of Bunker Hill and Yorktown, the 1812 War, the American Civil War, World Wars I and II, the wars in Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf.