Juan David Latorre
On the occasion of the National Day of Romania, the Romanian Embassy, together with the Romanian Consulate General and the Instituto Cultural Rumano, offered last Tuesday a reception and an extraordinary concert performed by the Romanian Violoncellissimo cellos Orchestra, at the Teatro Fernando de Rojas of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.
After some words of welcome, Ambassador George Gabriel Bologan recalled that “in 1918, following the principle of self-determination, the Romanian nation carried out the great union of all the territories inhabited by Romanians. It is a day to celebrate the unity, the vision and the fundamental goals of the Romanian nation. It is a day of solidarity in the face of historical vicissitudes. It is a lesson in both history and politics for all of us, especially for those involved in politics, because it reminds us of the meaning of courage, of ideals, of examples of a well-founded political attitude”.
Referring to the ongoing conflicts, the Romanian Ambassador commented, “Romania, with a war on its border, is committed to its role as EU border guardian and partner in the North Atlantic Alliance. In Ukraine, people continue to die because a former KGB officer has positioned himself above international law. In the Middle East, things are very tense and worrying. Violence begets violence. In the face of barbarism, Romania takes a firm stand on the side of justice and moral and democratic principles”.
Later, George Gabriel Bologan referred to the “excellent” relations between Romania and Spain. “With Spain we form an exemplary team of cooperation in the police and military field for the benefit of all European citizens, he said. In the last year, economic and commercial exchange has increased by 30%. The number of Romanian students in Madrid and Barcelona is constantly growing. At the heart of this privileged relationship is the Romanian community, which is the first community in the social security pyramid and has more than 45,000 individual companies, in addition to those with Romanian capital participation”.
“We are waiting for the signature of the Dual Citizenship Agreement for the Romanian community and we hope to organise the second meeting of Governments and the second meeting of the Trio Valencia,” the ambassador stressed.
“For me, the Romanian ambassador wanted to underline, it is a source of joy and professional satisfaction to have carried out part of my mandate during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Thank you, Aurora Mejía, to you and your team! It has been a success and I have collaborated very well with the Spanish partners”.
“The European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) have united the flags of states that in the past have been belligerent, continued George Gabriel Bologan. For this and not only for this, the EU is the compass of our destiny. Europe embodies Madariaga’s ideals as a model of society, a factor of peace, stability and international justice in the world. We must strengthen and invest in the promotion of Europeanist awareness and education on what forges our spiritual and cultural identity”.
With regard to the European Union, the ambassador pointed out that “it is not weakened, it is strengthened despite the Eurosceptics, because there is no more successful and important political project in the world and in our history. Let us not let ourselves be dragged down by fear among ourselves, that is what others want. We must be vigilant that Goya’s witches do not devour the dreams of reason. We must ensure that short-sighted egoisms fade away and that a considered, realistic and calm examination of problems and difficulties always prevails. This is, or should be, diplomacy within the EU”.
To round off the celebration of Romania’s National Day, guests were thrilled and amazed by the virtuosity of blind Romanian pianist Iulian Abagiu. “A true example of self-improvement and determination,” said the ambassador. And he recalled that “true vision is not found in the eyes, but in the soul”.
In addition, and alongside videos that continuously showed the beauty of Romanian landscapes and cities, Maestro Marin Cazacu awakened the joy and admiration of all at the head of the Romanian Violoncellissimo cellos orchestra, which performed everything from Romanian folklore to tangos and famous rock songs.
The reception was attended by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán; the State Secretary of the European Union, Pascual Navarro; the Director of the Coordination Office for the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, Aurora Mejía; the ambassadors’ introducer, María Sebastián de Erice; and the King’s military adviser, Emilio Juan García Cirugeda, along with numerous Spanish diplomats and the ambassadors of Austria, Poland, Israel, Moldavia, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Apostolic Nuncio and Norway, among others. The event was also attended by representatives of the Romanian Parliament, the General Secretariat of the Government in Bucharest and the Spanish Royal Household.
