Report : Tazeen Akhtar | Islamabad
The Ambassador of Romania to Pakistan H.E Dr. Dan Stoenescu has said that the modernization of the Romanian Armed Forces is one of Romania’s strategic priorities, within the context of adapting to evolving security conditions and strengthening national defense capabilities. He has paid rich tribute to those serving in uniform and highlighted the strong friendship between Romania and Pakistan with growing defence cooperation, and shared commitment to peace and security.
The Ambassador shared his views in his keynote address to the guest at the reception hosted by the Embassy of Romania to celebrate Armed Forces Day in Islamabad on 19 Oct 2026. Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Project) Air Marshal Shakeel Ghazanfar was chief guest at the occasion. The defense attaché of Romania Colonel Marian-Cristian Răducu,the Honorary Consul General of Romania in Peshawar is Mr. Masood Ahmad Qazi, covering the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) region, the officials from all three wings of armed forces of Pakistan were also present.
A large number of Ambassadors of European Union, other countries and Defense Attaches also participated in the celebration. The national anthems of both countries were played to kickstart the celebration and here Pakistani anthem was in the Choral format that was prepared few months ago by the Romanian artists with special initiative take by the embassy.
A documentary was screened to brief the guests about the defense capabilities of Romanian armed forces and their role in the defense of the motherland.
Romania Armed Forces Day (Ziua Armatei Române) is celebrated annually on October 25
• Historical Meaning: It marks the day in 1944 when the Romanian Land Forces liberated Carei, the final city under joint German–Hungarian occupation, completing the liberation of Northern Transylvania during World War II.
• Origin of Date: The date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of King Michael I of Romania, who led the August 1944 coup that aligned Romania with the Allied powers.
• Celebrations: Events include military wreath-laying ceremonies, hoisting the national flag at military bases, open-house exhibits, and memorial tributes to fallen soldiers in Bucharest and garrisons across the country.
Address by the Ambassador of Romania Dr. Dan Stoenescu ;
“Romania continues to invest in equipping and modernizing all service branches, focusing on the development of air and missile defense capabilities, combat aviation, and land and naval forces, as well as on the integration of new technologies, including unmanned and anti-drone systems. Concurrently, efforts are directed toward modernizing military infrastructure, bolstering logistics capabilities, and developing the national defense industry,” he noted.
Ambassador Stoenescu said , ” As a NATO and UE member, Romania considers the transatlantic bond to be the key element ensuring the Alliance’s strength and success—a fact demonstrated by over 70 years of peace across Allied territory. In this same spirit, the US presence in Europe is the result of more than 75 years of partnership, cooperation, and mutual support for European democracies—factors that have fostered stability, security, and the maintenance of peace, ultimately leading to a free and independent Europe.”
” The situation resulting from the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine—coupled with Russia being identified in NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept as the most significant and direct threat to the Alliance’s security—has triggered a wave of substantial investment in the equipping and modernization of European armed forces,” he continued.
H.E shared that against this backdrop, and in accordance with the commitments undertaken by the Allies at the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, Romania aims to allocate 3.5% of its GDP to direct defense investments, as well as 1.5% of its GDP to other indirect investments in defense and security, by 2035.
Romania is among the states benefiting from financial mechanisms funded by the European Union through the Readiness 2030 plan. From a national perspective, this program provides an opportunity to increase defense spending and will also have a positive impact on the defense industry.
The European financial instrument “Security Action for Europe” (SAFE) part of the European Union’s efforts to strengthen defense capabilities and the European defense industrial and technological base plays a significant role in achieving these objectives.
Romania benefits from an allocation of 16.68 billion EURO through this instrument, which enables the acceleration of procurement programs and the development of industrial cooperation projects in the defense sector.
Ambassador said , “The strategic importance of the Black Sea region has grown exponentially in recent years, with Russia acting as the primary player both militarily and politically in every regional security issue, to the detriment of the security of other states.”
H.E noted, “Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, its 2014 annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and the war of aggression launched against Ukraine in 2022 have transformed the Black Sea region into a frontline of the Russian offensive against both the rules-based international order and the core of Euro-Atlantic security.”
In 2026, Russia continued to attack Ukrainian ports on the Danube, near Romania’s borders. Consequently, these attacks led to incidents within Romanian airspace.
Romania faced a wave of unauthorized drone incursions into Romanian airspace, with the first nine months of 2026 seeing a threefold increase in such incidents compared to the previous year. For the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine, four of these drones were shot down by the Romanian Air Force. The exponential rise in the number of these incidents signals a serious deterioration of the security environment in the vicinity of Romania and Allied territory.
Ambassador noted , “Incidents involving aerial and maritime drones, cyberattacks, and the increasingly prevalent disinformation orchestrated by Moscow demonstrate mounting pressure and serve as a test of Allied resilience.”
“As a NATO member, Romania remains a staunch supporter of a coherent approach to measures aimed at strengthening the collective deterrence and defense posture, as well as an active contributor to the implementation of forward defense. Also, Romania contributes to all military missions and operations conducted under the aegis of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy,” Ambassador apprised the guests.
Mr. Stoenescu shared , “The Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans are priority areas for Romania in ensuring peace and stability. It is worth noting that Romania holds the command of the EUTM mission in the Central African Republic for the fourth time. The Eastern Neighborhood also remains a priority for our country.”
“The Republic of Moldova faces multiple security challenges, including attempts at destabilization that are part of the Russian Federation’s hybrid actions. The Republic of Moldova is part of the European family, and we firmly support its path, including the goal of accession by 2030,” he said.
Regarding assistance for Ukraine, he said, Romania will continue to contribute to strengthening security by providing multidimensional support to Kyiv. ” Romania remains steadfast in its continued multidimensional support for Ukraine. We will remain actively engaged in the activities of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, including within the Capability Coalitions,” Ambassador expressed the national determination.
Romania is also involved in training Ukrainian military personnel as part of the EUMAM UA mission. We will continue to coordinate with our Ukrainian partners to identify further training opportunities based on their needs.
Romania Pakistan
Ambassador Stoenescue spoke highly on the military cooperation between Romania and Pakistan which he said is on an upward trend and has been developed over the years into a true and mutual partnership.
Ambassador highlighted the forth session of the Join Military Committee which took place at Islamabad in last February. The agenda of this focused-on prospects for bilateral defense cooperation (such as joint counter-terrorism training, Air Force training courses, the exchange of experience in military education, joint naval training, and defense industry cooperation), the security situation in the Black Sea and South Asia regions, as well as an exchange of views on current international issues.
He expressed confidence that, in the future, all these discussions will be put into practice in various forms that will contribute to strengthening defense ties between the two countries.
Romania is also a constant member of the participation with officers as military observes to the UN peacekeeping mission, namely the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan.
Finally, Ambassador acknowledged and praised Pakistan’s continued efforts for peace and stability in the region, the exceptional professionalism and commitment of the Pakistani military personnel, their sacrifices in fighting terrorism, their presence in multiple international coalitions authorized to participate in maintaining peace, humanitarian assistance and other operations meant to ease the sufferings of the people in different regions of the world.
