4 November, Mattarella: ‘The armed forces are loyal to constitutional values.’ Meloni: ‘We must never take for granted the courage of those who serve Italia’
A laurel wreath laid at the Altar of the Fatherland on National Unity Day. Many messages paid tribute to the four Italian soldiers who died on 29 October in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In the year marking the 80th anniversary of the choice to become a republic, the Day of National Unity and the Armed Forces on 4 November ‘takes on special significance’. This is what the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, wrote in a message sent to the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto.
This morning, the Head of State laid a laurel wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Altar of the Fatherland. Present at the ceremony were Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Mr Crosetto himself, the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, Ignazio La Russa and Lorenzo Fontana, and the President of the Constitutional Court, Giovanni Amoroso.
The loyalty of the Armed Forces
The Armed Forces’ oath of allegiance to the Republic, writes Mattarella, ‘is rooted in the values of its Constitution’. It is a legacy to be safeguarded so that the memory of the past may be combined with hope for the future and ‘the atrocities experienced during the world wars may never be repeated’.
The anniversary celebrates the fulfilment of the ‘Risorgimento dream’ of national unity and the journey which, through the struggle for liberation, brought freedom and democracy to the country. It has also given ‘Italia a leading role’, thanks to the Republic’s policy of peace and international cooperation.
The tragedy in Bosnia
The day was overshadowed by the deaths of the four Italian soldiers who lost their lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 29 October during Operation EUFOR Althea. For Meloni, this tragedy served as a reminder of ‘just how high the price can be’ for those who choose to wear the uniform, ‘and how important it is never to take for granted the courage of those who serve Italia’.
