The Independence Day Reception, held on Tuesday at the US Embassy in Bucharest, was dedicated to baseball and Major League Baseball Jackie Robinson’s personality, the athletes’ daughter, Sharon Robinson attending the event as special guest.
As a matter of fact, in the event’s opening speech, the US Ambassador in Bucharest, Hans Klemm talked about the way Jackie Robinson’s performances contributed to the civil rights’ movement.
Something else our two nations have in common is a love of sports. This year we celebrate the 70th anniversary of when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. This milestone in American history not only changed the game of baseball, but paved the way for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the modern Civil Rights movement, stated the American diplomat.
He paid homage to Robinson’s daughter.
America’s struggle to be a more tolerant society, embracing its full diversity, was on display for the whole world to see in 1947, Klemm said. Seventy years later, we are delighted to welcome to Bucharest Jackie Robinson’s daughter, Ms. Sharon Robinson. We are inspired by her father’s courage to do what was right, even when it was extremely difficult to do so. Jackie Robinson taught us that we cannot sit on the sidelines and hope for the best, we must be active citizens and strive for what is best for our country, our people, the Ambassador added.
In her turn, Sharon Robinson talked about her father’s involvement in the fight for civil rights but also about the current human rights movements.
The day before the event, Sharon Robinson participated in the screening of the biopic ’42: The Story of Jackie Robinson’. It was amazing, there were kids of all ages, asking questions, she said. Jackie Robinson’s t-shirt number “42” was displayed on the Embassy’s building, alongside photos with Jackie Robinson with his family or Martin Luther King Jr.
Upon taking the floor at the Reception, President Iohannis also talked about the citizens’ rights. “Romanians know today that democratic values are non-negotiable. They are the principles enshrined in the US Declaration of Independence and now they are bringing our nations even closer,” stated Iohannis.
The head of state pointed out that the citizens of today’s Romania “have proved their maturity and moral uprightness”. “The time is now for the country to be responsibly and predictably governed, by placing the citizens’ interest uppermost and by proving to our foreign partners that Romania is the same stable partner that meets its commitments,” added Iohannis.
Ambassador Klemm and President Iohannis have repeatedly highlighted the military partnership, especially in the context of the recent visit of the Romanian head of state to the US. In fact, a few American militaries from the “Mihail Kogalniceanu” Base were present at the reception.
The event was attended by three former stars of the Professional Baseball League: Scott Erickson, LaTroy Hawkins and Marlon Anderson. The event included a demonstrative flight of the Aerobatic Yakers.
At the start of the event, the U.S. anthem was sung by Monica Anghel (Romanian singer – e.n.) and the Romanian anthem was played by the Orchestra of the National Defence Ministry. Monica Anghel and Freestay band performed after the official ceremony. Among those present at the Independence Day Reception were members of the Diplomatic body and political milieu.
US Ambassador Klemm : The embassy will fulfill my President’s commitment to further consolidate our Strategic Partnership
The US Embassy in Bucharest will fulfill President Donald Trump’s commitment to further consolidate the strategic partnership between the US and Romania, US ambassador Hans Klemm said at a 4th of July official reception on Tuesday.
He delivered a speech, alongside President Klaus Iohannis, in the opening of the event on US Independence Day.
The US diplomat mentioned in his speech Klaus Iohannis’ official visit to the US last month, saying that Romanians and Americans have many things in common: love for freedom, pride of their culture, rich traditions and vast landscapes, charged of history, and he highlighted that Romania and the US are celebrating this year 20 years of strategic partnership.
Klemm said the US Embassy will now fulfill President Donald Trump’s commitment to further consolidate the strategic partnership between the US and Romania, mentioning, in context, a US trade mission coming to Romania this autumn to encourage investment in both directions.
“This year Romania and the United States celebrate the 20th anniversary of our strategic partnership. At your meeting in Washington, Mr. President, you encouraged President Trump to look to the future of our partnership and to explore ways of strengthening it,” Klemm told President Iohannis.
“My embassy will now fulfill my President’s commitment to further strengthen our partnership. This autumn, we will host the largest American trade mission ever to explore Romania, and we will encourage investment between our countries in both directions. We can do this most effectively in a policy environment here in Romania that is stable, predictable, transparent and marked by genuine consultation with all stakeholders, including foreign investors. Working with partners such as the Romanian-American Foundation, we will encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in Romania,” the US Ambassador stated.
He mentioned that this thing can be achieved with a maximum efficiency in Romania, in a stable, predictable, transparent framework of policies, characterised by genuine consultations with all players involved, foreign investors included.
Klemm also spoke of defence collaboration between the two countries and mentioned Romania’s commitment to invest two percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in defence spendings, and also President Trump having congratulated President Iohannis on the efforts in the fight against corruption and in defending the rule of law.
Moreover, Klemm said that he expects to collaborate with the new Romanian government to develop each dimension of the strategic partnership.
President Iohannis: Partnership with US, decisive influence over Romania; Romanians know democratic values are non-negotiable
“The strategic partnership with the US has decisively influenced the development of Romania”, President Klaus Iohannis said Tuesday, adding that Romanians know today that democratic values are non-negotiable.
“This year, we celebrate two decades of the strategic partnership between Romania and the US. This partnership has decisively influenced Romania’s development in all these 20 years. These 20 years Romania has learned, including with support from the US, what the force of democracy, respect for justice, the rule of law and transparency mean. The Romanian citizens know today that the democratic values are non-negotiable. They are the principles enshrined in the US Declaration of Independence and now they are bringing our nations even closer,” Iohannis told a 4th of July reception party hosted by the US Embassy in Bucharest.
He said that Romanians have proved their maturity and moral uprightness, adding that it is time for Romania to be responsibly and predictably governed.
“The citizens of today’s Romania have proved maturity and moral uprightness. The time is now for the country to be responsibly and predictably governed, by placing the citizens’ interest uppermost and by proving to our foreign partners that Romania is the same stable partner that meets its commitments,” added Iohannis.
“After meeting President Trump, Romania-US relationship stronger than ever”
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday said that he is convinced that after he met US President Donald Trump in Washington DC the relationship between Romania and the US is stronger than ever.
“I am convinced that following my meeting with President Trump, the relationship between Romania and the United States is stronger than ever and it has a future that is very, very bright,” Iohannis told a 4th of July reception party hosted by the US Embassy in Bucharest on the US Independence Day.
Furthermore, the head of state brought to mind “the excellent meetings” he had in his recent visit to Washington DC.
“Today we are celebrating the National Day of the United States in less than a month since the visit I had paid to Washington. I had excellent and particularly productive meetings at the US Congress and American Administration, ending, certainly, with the meeting, on 9 June, with President Donald Trump. This meeting, as the entire visit to Washington, represented a reconfirmation of the US commitment for developing and enlarging our Strategic Partnership, and for the security of our region, Romania included,” Iohannis stated.
According to the head of state, this visit was also a recognition of Romania’s capacity to be a supplier of security.
“It was a recognition of Romania’s capacity to be a supplier of security and take action as a pillar-state in the region, for designing our mutual values. Therefore, I decided with president Trump, to boost the efforts for deepening the Strategic Partnership, in all its areas,” Iohannis revealed.
Moreover, Iohannis mentioned that commercial trades and investments of US capital to Romania must be intensified.
“We must bring the economic cooperation, the cultural one respectively, to the level of excellency of the military-political and security cooperation, including on the research and innovation level. (…) It’s important to intensify commercial trades and US capital investments in Romania, but also endorse the interest of Romanian businessmen for the US market, that was recently proven by the increasingly numerous participation of Romanian companies to the ‘Select USA’ event,” Iohannis said.
The head of state claimed that it’s paramount for Romania to have a “predictable and transparent legislative framework, with a low bureaucracy and observance for the rule of law.”
“For foreign investors – in order for Romania to attract the US companies, for instance, it’s very important to ensure a generally active and stable climate, with a predictable and transparent legislative framework, with a low bureaucracy and observance for the rule of law. I hope the newly installed Government takes into account these fundamental principles,” Iohannis also stated.
“The US remains main guarantor of Romania’s security”
“The United States remain the main guarantor of Romania’s security”, President Klaus Iohannis also told the 4th of July reception party hosted by the US Embassy in Bucharest.
He said Romania “brings a consistent and much appreciated contribution including to the US security.”
“In respect to the military dimension of our relationship, which is excellent both on a bilateral level and within NATO, the United States remain the main guarantor of Romania’s security, which, in its turn, brings a consistent and appreciated contribution, including for the security of the US,” Iohannis stated at the reception party organised at the Embassy of the US on the occasion of celebrating the Independence Day.
According to the head of state, “the permanent strengthening of the transatlantic relation” is vital for Romania.
“It is essential for the Western democratic civilization. The United States are very important for the European Union, but, at the same time, and, in equal measure, a united and powerful Union it’s important for the United States of America too. I am convinced that this truth is, increasingly more and more acknowledged on both sides of the Atlantic, and Romania will continue to actively support this objective,” Iohannis said.
Furthermore, the head of state hailed the “consistent growth” proposed by President Donald Trump for funding the activities of the US servicemen.
“I hail once again the consistent growth proposed by President Trump for funding the activities of the US servicemen, through the European Reassurance Initiative, including on Romania’s soil. I bring to mind, in this context, that this month, the impressive Saber Guardian 2017 exercise is to be conducted in Romania, which reflects, once again, our military advanced cooperation and inter-operability,” Iohannis also stated.
Moreover, the head of state conveyed to US officials that the US will always find “an ally, a partner and a friend” in Romania.
“You will always find in Romania an ally, a partner and a friend that you can count on,” the head of state conveyed to representatives of the US.
