About 330,000 Romanian soldiers died in battle or while being held hostage and all of them placed the country’s interest above their own existence, Romania’s military attaché in Moldova, Colonel Cristi Ladaniuc stated in a military ceremony to commemorate the Romanian soldiers held at the Cemetery of Romanian Heroes in Feștelița village of Ștefan Vodă district, IPN reports.

Cristi Ladaniuc said the Romanian soldiers killed in battle are the heroes of the Great Romania who fought for the national ideal – the reunification of the country.

The ceremony involved Romania’s Ambassador in Chisinau Daniel Ioniță. He said the Romanian soldiers fought with sacrifice and courage to build current Romania: a modern state anchored in the realities of the 21st century. “We are members of the EU and NATO. We are a state that tries to promote stability and security in the geographical region to which it belongs by everything it does. This wouldn’t have been possible without the sacrifice and blood shed by our soldiers,” stated Daniel Ioniță.

The military commemoration ceremony included a religious service held by a group of priests of the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia and Exarchate of Lands and a performance of poetry given by students of the secondary school “Vasile Moga” of Feștelița.

A number of 45 Romanian soldiers killed in battle were buried at the Cemetery of Romanian Heroes in Feștelița.