Twenty-five years ago, Romanian citizens joined in a movement for freedom that swept across Central Europe and liberated millions of people from behind the Iron Curtain. Brave men and women rose against a repressive regime and demanded their freedom. Over a thousand Romanians lost their lives in December 1989, but their sacrifice began the ouster of the last communist regime in a Warsaw Pact nation, and the fall of the Iron Curtain.
The legacy of 1989 lives on today, as Romanians exercised their hard fought right to pick their next leader in the November presidential elections.
We live in a better world because countries like Romania did the hard work of reforming their political and economic systems, and choosing to work toward a Europe whole, free and at peace. In just a single generation, Romania has made a remarkable journey from tyranny to freedom, from captive nation to NATO Ally. A quarter of a century has brought tremendous change, and the future of Romania is bright.
We congratulate the people of Romania on this historic anniversary and look forward to continuing to work together to advance security, prosperity and freedom in the region and around the globe.