Embassy Press Release

Remarks by Ambassador Nicholas F. Taubman on the Opening of the RAAS - Fulbright Biennial Conference

Bucharest, Romania
May 22, 2008

U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Taubman (Right), along with Prof. Mircea Regneala, Director of Central University Library (Center) and Prof. Ioan Panzaru, Rector of University of Bucharest (Left). Bucharest, Central University Library, May 22, 2008 (Kathy Kavalec, Cultural Affairs Officer)

State Secretary Pricopie,
Director Dragos,
All distinguished visitors and especially Fulbright Scholars.

It is a delight to be here with you this morning to launch the RAAS-Fulbright Biennial Conference. It’s good to see that American Studies is alive and thriving in Romania. These are exciting times in the Romanian-American relationship and it is encouraging to know that so many of you today devote your scholarly endeavors to helping others better understand Americans and to help us better understand ourselves, because you do define America in many many ways.

I am particularly pleased to see the active participation of the Fulbright Commission in the conference. The presence of a board member and the director of the commission as well as the many Fulbright scholars’ faces in the audience today is a sign that Fulbright is doing a good job in building mutual understanding between our two nations.

Both Romania and the United States are committed to strengthening our strategic partnership. Too often when someone says “strategic,” people jump to the conclusion that that only means military relationship. For us, strategic partnership includes, of course, the military relationship, and we are proud to work and fight side-by-side with Romanians both in Afghanistan and Iraq. But our strategic partnership stands for much than that. It includes, among other things, our commitment to a strong and united Europe in which Romania plays an integral role. It is why we supported Romania’s bid to host the very successful NATO Summit, which, by the way, was a carried out by Romanians flawlessly.

It also means support for a vibrant, open Romanian economy integrated into Europe and the rest of the world which will truly bring prosperity to every single Romanian. That is why I joined with your Ambassador to the United States, Adrian Vierita, early this year to promote investment in Romanian by American businesses, by going to the U.S. and touring the East Coast of the country. That is also why I cheered the return of Ford Motor Company to Romania in Craiova and celebrated the last month’s opening of the new Emerson facility in Cluj-Napoca, where, in the very near future, will be employed 2,000 people, along with 300 engineers, all Romanians of course.

Our commitment to this partnership is the reason why we and our Romanian colleagues work closely together to tackle organized crime and cyber crime and to strengthen the institutions and personnel necessary to meet these law enforcement challenges. Because of this close collaboration, just this week our Deputy Attorney General and your Prosecutor General were able to announce the indictment of 38 individuals with ties to international organized crime involving computer and credit card fraud schemes. Likewise, Romania hosts and the U.S. supports the SECI Center, a regional organization bringing together police and customs authorities from 12 member countries in Southeast Europe to combat organized crime. That is unique in this part of the world.

In addition, educational and cultural programs feature prominently in our partnership. I know I don’t have to tell you of their importance to these exchanges – both of information and of people. You are here because you have already demonstrated just how much you value them. Nevertheless, let me spend a minute or two talking about this critical element of our strategic partnership.

Fulbright Scholars, academic guests and students participate at the opening of the American Studies Conference, to be held in Bucharest, May 22-24. Bucharest, Central University Library, May 22, 2008 (Kathy Kavalec, Cultural Affairs Officer)

The building of mutual understanding and respect is a long process. Fortunately, the U.S. and Romania have a broad and firm foundation on which to build. But it requires the continued long term effort of government, the private sector, educational and cultural institutions, non-governmental organizations, and regular folks, like you and me, to assure that this aspect of our relationship remains strong. The links between people in the U.S. and Romania are growing everyday.

The US Government funds many exchange programs – including the Fulbright program and this conference – with an aim of increasing mutual understanding. But even more important are those interactions that happen without our assistance: American NGOs are working with Romanian counterparts to support social services for vulnerable populations. Romanians from Habitat for Humanity traveled to the U.S. last month to help build homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Golf Coast of the U.S. American companies in the American Chamber of Commerce are participating in the first START Internship Fair which will kick off tomorrow. START is a model public/private partnership, linking bright Romanian students with firms offering internships. Even the professional and personal contacts you will make during this conference are an important part of the many exchanges that are taking place which help us develop our strategic partnership.

The famous American journalist Edward R. Murrow once said that the most important part of communication was the last three feet - the distance between two people as they stand together. This conference and other venues both public and private where Americans and Romanians interact afford us opportunities to bridge that last three feet and to realize the lofty goal of building enduring mutual understanding.

Thank you for your attention and good luck with your conference.

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