06 mai 2016

Ladies and Gentlemen,

To be here today is a pleasure indeed and a source of hope. Thank you for a good occasion to talk about the fundamental role of education and diplomacy in my country and in this part of the world, on the occasion of the Cultural Diplomacy in Higher Education Conference, hosted by the University of Bucharest and the Romanian Foundation for Democracy.

A mixture of Western roots (Latin) and Eastern faith (Orthodox) makes Romania a rich and diverse culture. And, despite the overwhelming majority of Romanian ethnics (89,5%), Romania has always been a model of spiritual confluence. In the historic provinces of Banat, Bessarabia or Dobrogea it is common to come across local communities composed by up to 14 different minorities. Not only this aspect diversifies and strengthens the fabric of Romanian culture and traditions, by it also represents a solid bridge towards the world.

There was, in the twentieth century, an exodus of Romanian cultural values to Europe. After remarkable Romanian intellectuals of the end of the XIX century received the blessing of German or French universities education, a new generation flourished in Paris or Berlin, in Rome, Stockholm or Brussels, at the beginning of the XX Century. A great deal of them became famous in the United States of America and Canada.  

There is no European science or art that doesn’t honour a Romanian trailblazer. Mircea Eliade and Emil Cioran created names for themselves in philosophy, religion and literature. Constantin Brancusi became an iconic sculptor of the century. Haricleea Darclee, Maria Cebotari and George Enescu, then Dinu Lipatti, Ionel Perlea and Sergiu Celibidache were eminent composers and musicians, followed later by Nicolae Herlea, Ileana Cotrubas and Angela Gheorghiu, celebrated opera singers of our times. Aurel Vlaicu, Traian Vuia, Henri Coanda are considered today pioneers in aviation. George Emil Palade received the Nobel Prize in medicine, followed nowadays by professor Stefan Hell, laureate in Chemistry. The actress Elvira Popescu became a symbol of Parisian culture and an iconic figure of France. The playwright Eugene Ionesco needs little introduction, as he is known today as of the greatest playwrights of the century. One should not limit the list of Romanian contributions to the spirit of the Old Continent in the XX century only to Romanians who decided to live abroad. Romanians who chose to remained in the country, even under successive dictatorships, had a constant and substantial involvement in the spiritual life of Europe, in all areas, ranging from physics (Ștefan Procopiu) to philosophy, literature, Chemistry, history and arts: the diplomat Nicolae Titulescu, the historian Nicolae Iorga, the anatomist Gr. T. Popa, and many more.  All these eminent artists and scientists were ambassadors of their country and of their profession.

Nowadays, an extraordinary number of people leave Eastern Europe in search of a better-paid job abroad or better education in Western universities. Most of these people are young. This brings the benefit of an immediate better standard of life to their families at home. Their children have a better education and better holidays, while they, the adults, enrich their own cultural horizon and mentality. Into the hosting societies, they bring brand new energy, enthusiasm, flexibility and a strong motivation. This could be called a “modern age way of diplomacy throughout education and culture”.

A significant topic in Europe is today the cultural dialogue. I can testimony that the gap between Eastern and Western Europe’s culture and traditions is still considerable. Supra-national institutions, shared values and the “aquis communautaire” are fundamental, but they cannot solve alone the unity in diversity. Intelligence does not replace wisdom, information does not mean knowledge, mass media cannot replace the dictionaries. Democracy and freedom do not bring automatically sense of responsibility, generosity, loyalty and the power of personal example. It is surprising to see how we sometimes co-exist instead of living together. This is why having 55,000 Romanian young men and women studying in universities abroad brings a lot to our societies. This is a good example of performing cultural diplomacy through higher education.

Those who decide to live or learn abroad will always be a step ahead the others in the intercultural dialogue. They will cultivate living together values and will be a bridge between Western and Eastern Europe, between Europe and the world. They will also be a precious source of energy, a good example of adaptability and an added value to the hosting societies. Ultimately, they will be the best ambassadors of their own culture, tradition and society.