The National Day of Romania | 30-Nov-2011
On November 30, 2011, the reception celebrating Romania’s National Day took place in the sumptuous venue of the Embassy of Romania in London at 1 Belgrave Square.
The event brought together some hundreds of guests: members of the British Parliament, Lords, high representatives of the British institutions, defence and internal affairs attachés, representatives of the business community and academics, members of the Diplomatic Corps, journalists and members of the diaspora. The level of participation has reconfirmed that 2011 was a very good year for the bilateral relations between Romania and the UK.
Opening the event, the Ambassador addressed the audience: “The 1st of December, the Day of the Great Union, is the moment when, by the votes of millions of Romanians from Transylvania, this region was uniting with its motherland. On 27 March 1918, The National Assembly of Bessarabia had also decided on the union with Romania. For the Romanians living abroad, Romania has a unique significance. The distance has to be naturally atoned by a strong mental and emotional connection, fuelled by the roots which call for nostalgia and patriotism, a word we should use more often. The British Foreign Secretary William Hague recently told me that “relations between Great Britain and Romania have never been better than today”. The visit of the President of Romania to London in June 2011, as a Guest of Her Majesty’s Government, marked the updating of the Strategic Partnership signed in 2003, according to the new status of Romania as an EU and NATO member. The United Kingdom is one of our most important partners, allies and friends”. On a personal note, the Ambassador added: “After more than three and a half years here, as I travelled all over the UK, I can now confess that I needed a first year to understand; after a second year, I started to admire Britain; and after a third year, I discovered that I love Britain”.
The Ambassador’s speech was followed by the two national anthems, sung by the mezzo-soprano Irina Gheorghiu. On this occasion, the Travel Channel and European Nature Trust documentary “Wild Carpathia” was screened.
The reception was organised with the support of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the following sponsors: Arcelor Mittal, Mr and Mrs George Iacobescu, Class Living, PiLON, Chivas & Brothers, IDS International Diplomatic Supplies, Cubitt Consulting, Mr Dinesh Dhamija, and Forum Invest Romania.
In the picture from left to right: Florian Moldoveanu Chairman of PiLON and Dr. Ion Jinga Ambassador of Romania