Head of State Sergio Mattarella opened the 79th anniversary celebrations of the Republic with the laying of a laurel wreath at the Altar of the Fatherland. Welcoming him, per protocol, was Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. Present were Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the presidents of the Senate and House of Representatives, Ignazio La Russa and Lorenzo Fontana, Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri, and top military and police leaders. "Seventy-nine years ago," Mattarella stressed in a message sent for the anniversary to Defense Chief of Staff Luciano Portolano, "the Italian people decreed, with their vote, the birth of the Republic, at the culmination of a long journey that began with the Liberation War. With the referendum of June 2, 1946, the Italians chose to continue on a path toward the affirmation of values of freedom, democracy and peace, transfused in the Constitution that would soon see the light of day. Values on which our civil community is founded and to which all the institutions called to work in favor of the community turn. Values at the basis of the action of the Armed Forces, with their contribution to the security framework in Italy and in the international context”.