On June 2, 2025, the Romanian Embassy in Prague organized, with the support of the Czech-Romania Parliamentary Friendship Group, whose president is the deputy Martin Hajek, a first in bilateral relations, Romania Day at the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic Parliament to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and The participation of the Romanian army in the battles for the liberation of Czechoslovakia.
The event, held under the auspices of the First-Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Mrs. Věra Kovářová, was attended by deputies, representatives of the ministries of foreign and defense, the Czech academic environment, members of the Czech-Romania Association, and Romanian communities in Prague.
Also, a delegation of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Mrs. Clara Staicu, Secretary of State for European Affairs, who is in Prague for bilateral consultations.
“Romania Day” at the Chamber of Deputies, an event that constitutes a premiere in the Romanian-Czech bilateral relations, is part of the series of events organized between April – May 2025 by the Romanian Embassy in Prague to mark the role of the Romanian Army in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, under the motto “Solidarity – Memory – Gratitude”.
The event also included a lecture on the role of the Romanian army in the liberation of Czechoslovakia by Professor Emil Voráček from the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, followed by a performance of Romanian folk dances by the folk group “Tarabostes” and a tasting of wines and traditional Romanians products.
In his welcome speech addressed to the participants, Mr. Martin Hájek emphasized the importance of commemorating the common history, the moments of solidarity between Romania and the Czech Republic, which represent a solid basis for the development of bilateral cooperation, and he welcomed the presence at the event of representatives of numerous central, regional and public institutions. Czech local. The Czech deputy appreciated that the holding of the “Day of Romania” is a testimony of the friendship between the Romanian and Czech peoples and a confirmation of the new stage in the development of Czech-Romanian relations
H.E. Mrs. Antoaneta Barta, the ambassador of Romania to Prague, highlighted the significance of this chapter of history, less known to the public opinion in the Czech Republic, context in which the Embassy organized an unprecedented series of commemoration events in the towns liberated by the Romanian military 80 years ago.
She thanked Mrs. Věra Kovářová for the patronage of this event and Mr. Martin Hájek for his generous support of the initiative of the Romanian Embassy. At the same time, she expressed her special appreciation to Professor Emil Voráček, for his major contribution to the restoration of historical truth by emphasizing the crucial role of the Romanian Army in the liberation of Czechoslovakia.
The ambassador of Romania mentioned the numerous events organized in Moravia and shared with those present the emotion experienced in the visited towns, following the very moving testimonies of the locals about the courage, civilized behavior, and friendly attitude of the Romanian army towards the local population.
In her speech, the vice president of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Mrs. Věra Kovářová, pointed out the necessity of “repairing the historical injustice done to the Romanian people”, through the ignorance of the Czech public of the major role of the Romanian Army in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, and at the same time recalled another moment in history that Czechs need. to remember it, respectively, the refusal of our country to participate in the Soviet invasion of 1968.
Mrs. Secretary of State Clara Staicu hailed the importance of this event for preserving the memory of Romanian soldiers, underlining the excellent level of bilateral relations, transformed into a real partnership, in a time of major geopolitical turbulence. In this context, he pointed out that the presence of the MAE delegation in Prague for consultations on European issues with Czech counterparts represented a reaffirmation of the mutual desire to develop a solid partnership, based on the similarity of foreign policies, security objectives, and common values.
At the end of the conference, there was a show of Romanian folk dances by the folk group “Tarabostes”, an event organized in cooperation with Institutul Cultural Român / Romanian Cultural Institute, and a tasting of traditional Romanian wines and products, particularly appreciated by the present audience.
Watch the Video from the event.
