Romania wants to give a new impetus to bilateral relations and develop a high-level institutional dialogue with Cyprus, said Dan Mihalache, Ambassador of Romania to Cyprus, on the occasion of the National Day of Romania celebrated annually on December 1.
Speaking during an interview to CNA, the Romanian Ambassador said that administrative and consular support to the Romanian community in Cyprus has been a very important component of the embassy’s work, with the latest figures suggesting there are around 46,000 Romanians currently registered in Cyprus, without considering seasonal workers, especially during the summer, and people working in the occupied areas of Cyprus.
“Although this number might appear small compared to other diaspora communities abroad, they constitute 5% of the Cypriot population and are the third biggest ethnic group on the island”, he added.
The Romanian community in Cyprus is a settled and well-integrated one, continued Mihalache, thanks also to the support of the Republic and the Greek Orthodox Church, and it consists of people that came mainly during the 1990s. Another group came before the 1989 revolution, especially through marriages with Cypriots that studied in Romania, but the majority are economic diaspora members that came in the 1990s and 2000s, attracted by better opportunities, he added.
“In time the conditions have changed since the level of income and the cost of living in the two countries are now similar, meaning that the migration trend has almost stopped, except for seasonal workers, mainly in the HORECA industry”, he said, adding that despite the fact that after the economic crisis and the pandemic around 10,000 people returned to Romania, Cyprus remains an attractive place in to live in.
In relation to the Romanian community’s efforts to maintain ties with the country, the Romanian diplomat said that the younger generation is facing a similar challenge with the Cypriot diaspora members, namely they need help in preserving their national identity as they can have difficulties speaking their mother tongue or establishing personal links with their country of origin.
The existence of Romanian schools all over Cyprus is very helpful in this regard, he stressed, adding that at the moment there are nine Saturday schools for children between 5 and 14 years old run by the Alliance of Romanians in Cyprus, partially founded by the Romanian state and aided by the public institutions of Cyprus.
As regards bilateral relations between Romania and Cyprus, Mihalache said that they have been traditionally good since the founding of the Republic in 1960, but Romania wants to give them a new impetus.
During the 2000s Romania was very focused on its accession to NATO and the EU and bilateral relations with Cyprus were seen through these objectives, he explained, adding that there are now many new cooperation areas, such as IT, where both countries can help each other, and education, in relation to which he said that from the beginning of 2023 there will be a Romanian Language and Civilisation Chair in the Cyprus University of Technology that could be used as a vehicle for enhancing cooperation between various Romanian and Cypriot universities.
The Romanian ambassador also said that there are currently growing economic exchanges between Romania and Cyprus, with a recorded growth of 50% between 2020 and 2021 and 35% during the first six months of 2022, adding that there is room for further cooperation in the areas of education and culture.
There are also policy points the two countries share at the European level, he noted, adding that as very difficult times are approaching bilateral dialogue between Romania and Cyprus as partners within a very dynamic and changing EU can be an asset for both countries.
“There will be a lot of challenges in the future for the EU in terms of internal organization, policies, external relations of the Union and I believe we can find common positions and share our voices in the EU”, he stressed.
Mihalache also said that the Romanian side plans to develop an institutional high-level dialogue with Cyprus during the next year, adding that there is time for a high-level visit of the Romanian President to Cyprus next year and a high-level meeting between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to set up these common positions and design a future cooperation plan.
On the Cyprus issue, Romania has supported the position of the United Nations based on international law and the legitimate demand of the Republic of Cyprus that international law must be respected, said the Romanian diplomat, adding that the conflict in Ukraine highlights the necessity to stick to the principles of international law. “In this respect, Cyprus will have our support in the international institutions and within the EU”, he underlined.
As regards Ukraine, he said that although Romania is not very dependent on Russian gas, it remains at the frontline of the western, democratic value-oriented world and feels the pressure of Russian aggression as it has a long eastern border with Ukraine and the Black Sea being a very critical geopolitical area.
Romania received a large number of Ukrainian refugees, but not all of them stayed in the country, he continued, adding that at the moment Romania is capable of sustaining economically this migration wave, but as the situation worsens there could be fluxes that can exceed the country’s and even Europe’s humanitarian response capacity as millions of people are moving within and out of Ukraine.
In terms of NATO, the alliance’s foreign ministers finished a two-day meeting in Bucharest on Wednesday, one of the most important events for Romania this year according to Mihalache, which gives a clear signal to Russia that the alliance’s eastern flank is important and will be defended, but also that the Black Sea is an important area not only for the regional security, but also for the entire continent.
Regarding the latest developments concerning Romania’s access to the Schengen area, the Romanian ambassador said that we are still waiting for the EU Council decision on 8 December since in technical terms the European Commission has recommended Romania’s participation to the Schengen area, but there is still opposition by some member states, mainly Austria and the Netherlands.
“What we learned in this debate about Schengen in the last months, and should be kept in mind by all member states, is that we are not dealing with objective criteria, but various state interests and internal political debates, something not very fair in terms of European solidarity. If we want to build a stronger Europe, solidarity and criteria must be effective”, he stressed.
Finally, asked, in view of the National Day of Romania, about the main challenges and the main aspirations of the country, Mihalache said that in the last thirty years Romania has undergone a rapid process of change following its aspiration to be a modern European country.
He added that the partnership with the United States and its NATO membership provides Romania with the security element it historically needed in this very complicated geopolitical area, with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the proximity of Romania showing how important it is for Romania to be a strategic partner for the US and NATO.
“EU membership provides instruments for achieving economic and modernization goals, but we still have to work on reducing the gaps in infrastructure, economic development and quality of life”, he continued, adding that Romania will also have to project its role within the EU, but also as partner in traditional areas where it used to play a political role, such as the Middle East and North Africa, with Cyprus being an important element in this area.
“Romanians want to be proud of being Romanians in Europe and the world, as partners and a strong country is a very complex world”, he concluded.
Source: Cyprus News Agency