13 apr. 2011

Speech of His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania
The Fourteenth Marmara Eurasian Economic Summit in Istanbul
13 April 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank you for inviting me once again to one of the most significant and important annual economic and political events in the region. Thanks to its qualities and perseverance, the Marmara Summit remains, after more than a decade, a shining example of responsible action and wise prospection of the future.

Much has been said about the economy, resources and energy, about co-operation and development in Central Asia, the Middle East, South-Eastern Europe and North Africa. The Marmara Summit provides a platform to leading figures representing precisely these parts of the world.

In the current international climate, the economic crisis, now a visible phenomenon, produces worry and doubts in our societies, but also vulnerabilities that are less easily detected, such as a moral crisis, an institutional crisis and a crisis of meanings. For this reason, it would perhaps be useful to speak for a few minutes about three extraordinary resources of our times, resources that are bountiful in this part of the world.

Firstly, the human resource. Whereas a large number of countries elsewhere in the world are experiencing demographic decline, in Turkey, as well as in other countries of Asia, the Middle East, South-Eastern Europe and North Africa, the younger generation offers to society, year after year, an extraordinary potential of energy, intelligence, knowledge, and creativity. More than ever, the world’s famous universities are full of Romanians, Chinese, Indians, Turks, Russians, and Africans. Their competence is far more effective and at a much earlier age than that of our generation. However, instead of exploiting this fantastic asset for the benefit of our development and progress, our society seems to see only “the empty half of the glass”, which translates as worries about a youth invasion of the labour market and government inability to cope with it.

Secondly, human energy and creativity. In Romania, the same as in all the other countries that languished in the darkness of communism for a half a century, the creativity and energy of people of all ages is striking. Not always channelled in a productive direction by government and civil society, this energy and creativity is the result of the accumulation, within society, of a half a century of isolation, frustration, and lack of freedom. The same potential in terms of human creativity and energy is present in Turkey, Egypt, the Central Asian countries and everywhere else in the wider region mentioned earlier. A good, wise and long-lasting political projection should take into account this priceless resource, which does not require the building of any “pipeline” in order to transport it. Rather, it requires the building of a different structure, called a “bridge”: a bridge of wisdom, generosity, a sense of duty, and loyalty. But, sadly, in the democratic world, the current leadership seems to be relegating these virtues to an increasingly lower place on its list of values.

Finally, communication. The rise of the Internet and other electronic means of communication, their extraordinary evolution, and their instantaneous penetration in our societies provide (at least in theory) an unprecedented chance to build bridges between generations, meridians, cultures, economies and leaderships. But, alas, our societies yet again seem more concerned with the vulnerabilities arising from the “democratisation” of communication, losing a huge chance to enhance connectedness between generations, countries and professions and thereby foster development and progress in the world.

Obviously, to transform these unusual sources of energy into development and progress is a question of responsibility. And this responsibility is certainly shared by our governments and civil society. While the political leadership is coming under increasing scrutiny and criticism by citizens, it is no less true that civil society is proving to be more and more selfish, more and more irresponsible and obsessed with laying hold of democracy and freedom rather than exercising them.

Occasions when the opportunity arises to speak of virtues such as a sense of duty, generosity, wise foresight and loyalty are blessed moments for the community. And I thank you again for this privilege today.