The President of the Republic of Algeria, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Minister of National Defence, presided over the annual ceremony at the People’s Palace, to award ranks and medals to a number of General and senior officers and civilian personnel, as part of the festivities commemorating the 63rd anniversary of independence and the restoration of national sovereignty.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the President of the Republic, along with General Saïd Chanegriha, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defence, Chief of People’s National Army Staff, and senior government officials, oversaw the conferral of ranks, which saw the promotion of Major General Moustapha Smaili, Commander of the Land Forces, to the rank of Lieutenant General, the promotion of several Brigadier Generals to the rank of Major General, and Colonels to the rank of Brigadier General. The promotions also included senior officers, as well as the presentation of medals to several senior officers and civilian personnel.
On this occasion, General Chanegriha delivered a speech in which he first expressed his sincere thanks to the President of the Republic for having agreed to preside over the ceremony to award ranks and medals to PNA officers, the Algerian Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
“On this happy occasion, I have the honor to express to you, Mr. President of the Republic, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Minister of National Defense, on my own behalf and on behalf of all the personnel of PNA, our most sincere thanks and gratitude for having agreed to preside over the ceremony to award ranks and medals to the officers of People’s National Army,” he said.
“This honor with which we are bestowed has become a well-established tradition, which rightly demonstrates the great interest you have in the officers and personnel of our valiant army, an interest which will undoubtedly encourage them to make greater efforts to build our Armed Forces on solid foundations,” he added.
General Chanegriha emphasized that the timing of this ceremony with the commemoration of Independence Day and the restoration of national sovereignty reflected the gratitude of the valiant children of Algeria for the great deeds of the martyrs, who made the supreme sacrifice for their homeland:
“The organization of this grandiose ceremony, concurrently with the festivities commemorating the 63rd anniversary of independence and the restoration of national sovereignty, arouses in us feelings of pride and dignity in regard to the glories and exploits of our valiant ancestors, just as it rekindles in our hearts the noble sense of victory, freedom, and absolute loyalty to sovereign Algeria.”
“This anniversary, so dear to every patriotic Algerian, calls on us to fulfill our duty of gratitude for the sacrifices of our valiant martyrs, to pay reverent tribute to the memory of those who gave their most precious gifts for the homeland, but also to draw inspiration from the great deeds of our heroes, who preserved their legacy and honored their oath, and to preserve the noble principles and values that form the foundation of our national identity, and to renew our commitment to the country and its people,” he stressed.
General Chanegriha extended his congratulations to the officers promoted to higher ranks and those awarded medals, urging them to be leaders capable of leading their men to victory:
“Finally, I would like to reiterate to you, Mr. President, the expression of my most sincere thanks and consideration for having personally presided over this ceremony.
Likewise, I would like to extend to you, who have just been promoted to higher ranks and recipients of medals, my warmest congratulations, wishing you every success in your professional career and also hoping that these distinctions will constitute a motivation for you, in order to deploy more dedicated efforts and to achieve exploits worthy of you and PNA, and also to become leaders capable of leading your men to victory”. (Source & Photo ©: Algerian Ministry of National Defence)
