Dear friends,
This year has a distinctive meaning for Romania and Denmark as in 2017 we are celebrating 100 years of diplomatic bilateral relations. It was in May 1917 when the authorities of both countries decided to set up the first legation of Romania in Copenhagen, followed, seven years later, by establishing the Danish legation in Bucharest.
A century later, as EU and NATO allies, Romania and Denmark succeeded to substantially strengthen their relation bilaterally as well as within the European and international framework, sharing similar perspectives on many items on the international agenda such as the European Partnership, security, terrorism, energy and the reform of the UN. In the near future, we are committed to work together on the current important dossiers of the European agenda and to the deepening of the European project.
Traditionally, Romania, as the largest country in South-Eastern Europe, is a reliable economic partner for Denmark. After 100 years, the bilateral trade reached almost half a billion Euros and we believe that there is still a large potential to capitalize on. The Danish market, among the most business-friendly in the world, makes the Romanian companies more and more attracted by it. On the other hand, we are experiencing an increasing interest of the Danish business sector towards Romania, given the success stories offered by many of the nearly 800 companies operating on the Romanian market. Areas like renewable energy, IT, research and development, agriculture, pharmaceuticals are of immediate interest for both business communities and it is in these very sectors were we can, together, deepen our cooperation.
An important bridge linking our countries is the Romanian community living and working in Denmark – hundreds of students, researchers and lecturers, IT engineers and renowned experts in agriculture and tourism. They represent a well-integrated community within Danish society. I strongly hope that in the coming years our people will find more and more avenues for developing joint initiatives in culture, science and education that would contribute in a significant way to increasing mutual understanding and trust.
At the same time, I look forward to an on-going and open dialogue with our Danish partners to continue our shared approach on regional and global challenges in order to assure substance to our cooperation, while being both committed to building a more secure and prosperous world for ourselves, our children and grandchildren.
Besides celebrating the 100 years of bilateral relations, the 5th of June offers me the great pleasure to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Denmark. On the 5th of June 1849, King Frederik VII signed Denmark’s first constitution and broke voluntarily almost 200 years of absolutism. Since this moment, Denmark became known as a champion of peace, prosperity, and democracy, the same values that bind Denmark and Romania as members of the European Union and NATO!
Happy 100 years of bilateral diplomatic relations and Happy Grundlovsdag!
