A hundred and forty years ago, Italy and Romania established diplomatic relations and, to commemorate that moment, the Bucharest Chamber of Deputies inaugurated an exhibition that puts on display high-resolution copies of the diplomatic documents of that political act. Nineteen panels in Italian and Romanian reconstruct the events that led to the exchange of the credentials of the first two Ambassadors between 6 December 1879 and 15 February 1880.
The exhibition was mounted by the Diplomatic Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bucharest, in partnership with the Embassy of Italy in Bucharest and the Historical Diplomatic Archive at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Presidential Advisor, Sergiu Nistor, who spoke at the inauguration, read a message from Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, who thanked the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, for the excellent collaboration, openness and full support for the continuous implementation of the Strategic Partnership, as well as for the friendship shown towards the Romanian people and, in particular, the Romanian community in Italy. Also the deputy Premier, Raluca Turcan – who conveyed the message from the Bucharest Government – underlined the special nature of the relations between the two countries, characterized by a “human, social and cultural bond”, and highlighted the entrepreneurial relations between the two Countries.
The Ambassador of Italy, Marco Giungi, quoted the words pronounced by Sergio Mattarella during the State visit to Italy of his Romanian colleague in October 2018, recalling that Romania “had strongly wanted to be European – being a Latin Country – since its gradual assertion as a State”. He also underlined that the common history of the two Countries during the last 140 years presents similarities and convergences, interrupted by the inclusion of Romania in the Soviet bloc, whose collapse is celebrated this month, on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the regime. In addition, the Ambassador spoke about the current level of our bilateral relations: thriving trade, a large business community, substantial investments, and a solid common commitment to the European Union and NATO.
