party november 4 mattarella what the president said

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, at the Altare della Patria, Friday, November 4, for National Unity Day and Armed Forces Day.

Then, accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, Mattarella left Piazza Venezia by car, to reach Bari where the celebrations will continue. Previously, after the anthem of Mameli, the President of the Republic had received the cuirassiers’ laurel wreath and under the notes of the Legend of the Piave he had risen to place it in front of the chapel of the unknown soldier, at the Homeland Altar.

Sergio Mattarella during the November 4 ceremony. Photo Ansa / Riccardo Antimiani

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber, Ignazio La Russa and Lorenzo Fontana, were present at the ceremony. In addition to the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto. “Today we celebrate National Unity Day and on this day we pay tribute to the Armed Forces who, with their dedication and contribution, have allowed Italy to become a united, free and democratic”. The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella writes in a message to Defense Minister Crosetto.

Mattarella on Ukraine

“Peace – writes Mattarella – is a value to be cultivated and preserved. And, more than ever, the aggression unleashed today by the Russian Federation against Ukraine calls us to the responsibility of bearing concrete witness to our convictions. Thus emphasizing “the need to ensure, with our allies, the principles on which international cooperation is based”. On Ukraine, the Head of State also spoke on November 3, on the occasion of the ceremony for the presentation of the insignia of the Military Order of Italy.

Sergio Mattarella with a representation of students from the Military Training Institutes, on the occasion of National Unity Day and Armed Forces Day. Photo Ansa / Quirinale Francesco Ammendola

“The war unleashed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has set the clock of history back a century,” declared Sergio Mattarella. “We cannot give in to this drift. Hence the unreserved support for kyiv”. Speaking to reporters after the November 4 ceremony, Giorgia Meloni defined Armed Forces Day as “a moment that unites us with all those who have sacrificed to defend us and for our credibility.”

Crosetto and the Unknown Soldier

For his part, for the new Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto, “today a journey ends physically. But what must continue is the ideal journey, which reminds us of the sacrifice that many men have made and which must engage us in our daily efforts to serve him as those people, even unknown ones, on whom our democracy and our freedom are based. . There is no greater honor than to serve a country.” After meeting Mattarella, Crosetto spoke at the ceremony at Termini Station that commemorated the anniversary of the arrival in Rome, in 1921, of the train from Aquileia on which the body of the unknown soldier was placed.

Sergio Mattarella with Guido Crosetto and Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chief of the Defense Staff. Photo Ansa / Quirinale Francesco Ammendola