Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean unveiled on Tuesday in Brussels, together with Anderlecht mayor Eric Tomas, the bust of Enlightenment scholar Dimitrie Cantemir (1673 – 1723) in an official ceremony held in Square Egide Rombaux of the Anderlecht commune of Brussels, informs a Foreign Ministry release to AGERPRES.
“The accomplishment of this project demonstrates, once again, the excellent relations between Romania and Belgium. Placing Dimitrie Cantemir’s bust in Anderlecht will strengthen the relations of friendship and cooperation between our countries,” Corlatean said during Tuesday’s ceremony.
At the same time, the Romanian chief diplomat remarked the special significance of such projects centered on a personality that is relevant for the common European space, a space of unity in diversity, “the bearer of a long cultural tradition.”
Titus Corlatean also evoked Dimitrie Cantemir’s contribution, “as a European conscience avant la lettre”, to the mutual knowledge and idea dialogue between the East and the West.
He highlighted the connections between Dimitrie Cantemir’s work and that of the scholars in the historic space of The Netherlands, such as Erasmus of Rotterdam and Jean-Baptiste Van Helmont.
Attending the ceremony were representatives of the Belgian federal and regional authorities, the Anderlecht mayor and members of the Romanian community in Belgium.
