As in previous years, the politicians took advantage of the moment to make their presence felt in the events organized on this occasion.
The Romanians celebrated on August 15, Assumption Day, one of the important holidays of Christian Church that marks the transition from summer to autumn, as well as Navy Day, as St. Mary is the protector of sailors. On this occasion, at the seaside and in cities across the country, religious, artistic and cultural events took place, attended by the representatives of the political class in Bucharest.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta took part in the Pontifical Mass from the Roman-Catholic Church in Cacica, officiated by Petru Gerghel, bishop of Iasi. The Prime Minister and his wife Daciana attended the Divine Liturgy at the Putna Monastery, too. Ponta said afterwards that his attending the masses at Putna and Minor Church in Cacica on the occasion of the Assumption had no electoral purpose and that he has been coming to Bucovina for these masses for 35 years.
One day before August 15, Ponta wanted to convey, at the beginning of the weekly meeting of the Government, a congratulatory message to all the sailors who “have not yet been sold” by President Basescu. “We still have a Civil Navy, as the man (Basescu) took care of the Civil Navy, but we still have the sailors. He did not sell those. We, myself included, as the Minister of Transportation, still congratulate the sailors who were not sold…” Ponta said, quoted by Mediafax.
President Traian Basescu also had a message on the occasion of the Assumption and the Romanian Navy Day, saying that he hopes that August 15 will bring “serenity and hope” to the Romanians. Also, according to a press release posted on the Presidential website, Basescu thanked all the soldiers operating in the service of the Romanian Navy for “the dedication and the courage they demonstrate in the missions entrusted to them”.
On St. Mary’s Day, the President and his wife Maria attended the service officiated by the Archbishop of Covasna and Harghita, Ioan Selejean at the “Assumption” Monastery in Izvoru Muresului. At the end of the service Archbishop Ioan Selegean gave the President, as well as Maria Basescu and Titus Corlatean, the Foreign Affairs Minister, national flags.
After that, Traian Basescu attended the third edition of the Popular Patriotic Songs Festival “La Oarba si la Iernut”, from Oarba de Mures. On this occasion, he gave a speech to commemorate the soldiers killed in Oarba de Mures in 1944, in the fight to free Northern Transylvania. He said that the Romanian people paid neither money nor favors for Transylvania, they paid with blood. Before leaving, Basescu shook hands with the participants and even took pictures with some of them.
Defence Minister Mircea Dusa, attended, on Navy Day, the events organized in Constanta, close to the Casino, saying on this occasion that the Navy is an elite corps of the Army, who always professionally carry out their tasks: “The Romanian Navy has the force to defend the Romanian national interests on sea and on the Danube and to successfully execute the collective maritime defense missions undertaken by our country as a member of the North Atlantic Alliance”.
Mircea Dusa asked the soldiers to stay as motivated as they are now as the international agenda of the Navy remains very full. The Navy Day events were also attended by the Minister of Interior Affairs, Radu Stroe, the prefect of Constanta, Eugen Bola, and the Mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazare.
Basescu, reconfirmed ship masters certificate
Traian Basescu has reconfirmed his shipmaster’s certificate, and examiners praised him as an elite student, after he took a navigation simulation test, at the Romanian Training Center for Naval Transport Staff (CERNAV), in Constanta. On this occasion, Basescu said in Constanta (Romanian Black Sea port) that the country is much more difficult to run than a ship with no opposition aboard. Prime Minister Victor Ponta said that, if he is still interim Minister of Transportation, he will not sign the new shipmaster’s certificate for President Basescu and that he will personally call him to be tested.
On the other hand, Traian Basescu celebrated on Saturday, together with former colleagues, 37 years since graduating the Navy Institute, nowadays Navy Academy “Mircea cel Batran”, the party being held at the protocol villa in Neptun.
