September 11, 2006

President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu joined Ambassador Taubman and the Bucharest diplomatic corps at the National Theatre on September 11, 2006 to commemorate the victims of terrorism around the world. Ambassador Taubman emphasized that America is not the only country that suffered on September 11, 2001, but that at least ninety-one countries lost loved ones in New York, including Romania. He thanked Romania for its steadfast support in the struggle against terrorism.

President Basescu and Prime Minister Tariceanu spoke about the need to stand up against terrorism and remembered the victims. The Ambassador of Spain, Pablo Garcia-Berdoy, the Ambassador of Great Britain, Robin Barnett, and the Charge d'Affaires of Indonesia, Ishlah Abdullah, each spoke about how terrorism had affected their own countries.

After a moment of silence was observed, the participants lighted candles in memory of the victims of terrorism. They were joined by members of the public who observed the commemoration from the square in front of the National Theatre.

The event marked the opening of an exhibit of photographs entitled "Images of 9/11" by Joel Meyerowitz, presented by the Museum of the City of New York and the U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art of Romania. The Transylvan String Quartet performed Beethoven's "Serioso" Quartet in F minor on the occasion of the opening.

The U.S. Embassy extends its thanks and appreciation to the participants who joined us for this commemoration. We also would like to thank National Theatre Director Ion Caramitru for hosting the event and Museum of Contemporary Art Director Mihai Oroveanu for his assistance with the exhibit.

The "Images of 9/11" exhibit will be open to the public in the lobby of the National Theatre from September 12 to 15 daily from 10:00-16:00 hours.

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