On March 30, 2006, the Ambassador of Romania hosted a reception to celebrate The International Day of the Francophonie and the Romanian Chairmanship of the OIF Ministerial Conference.
The event was honored by the distinguished presence of Ambassadors and Heads of Missions of states members and observers to the OIF accredited in the United States, representatives from the Department of State, think tanks and universities based in Washington, DC.
In his address to the audience, H.E. Ambassador Sorin Ducaru underlined the importance of OIF’s mission and objectives, current trends in the organization, the hosting by Bucharest of the XIth Summit of the OIF, as well as numerous events to be hosted across Romania during its Chairmanship.

Speech of the Romanian Ambassador:

Vos Excellences,
Mesdames,
Messieurs,
Chers amis,

Permettez-moi d’abord de vous adresser la bienvenue et de vous remercier pour accepter notre invitation à cette soirée destinée à marquer ensemble la journée internationale de la Francophonie.
Membre, depuis 1993 (mille neuf cent quatre vingt treize), de l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), la Roumanie est l’un des deux premiers pays de l’ancien bloc communiste –ayant rejoint la communauté francophone. C'est un événement particulièrement important pour notre pays qui compte aujourd'hui près de 20% (vingt pour cent) de la population francophone et qui représente un pôle majeur de la Francophonie en Europe Centrale et de l’Est.
A partir du novembre 2005 (deux mille cinq), lors de la Conférence Ministérielle de la Francophonie d’Antananarivo (Madagascar), la Roumanie a succédé à la présidence de cette instance.
Au cours de cette présidence, qui nous fait honneur et nous oblige au même temps, nous nous attacherons avec ardeur et dévouement à la poursuite du processus visant la reforme institutionnelle de l’OIF, entérinée par l’adoption de la nouvelle Charte de la Francophonie, qui consacrera l’OIF comme unique organisation intergouvernementale de la Francophonie et sanctionnera le rôle politique grandissant de l’Organisation.
2006 (deux mille six) est également l’année d’une nouvelle Réunion à haut niveau de l’OIF, qui se tiendra à Bucarest en septembre prochain. La tenue de cet Onzième Sommet à Bucarest est pour nous bien plus importante qu’il n’y parait, car la Roumanie se prépare activement à rejoindre l’Union Européenne.
Le Sommet sera consacré à un thème essentiel pour nous, celui de l’Education et des technologies de l’information. Ainsi Bucarest s’engage à représenter une étape significative dans le débat initié au niveau mondial sur l’édification de la société de l’information. Ce sera l’occasion, de clarifier nos conceptions et nos perspectives et de contribuer à la relance de notre coopération intergouvernementale. En ce moment, la Roumanie est en train de préparer le Sommet et aussi toutes les manifestations qui l’accompagneront et qui témoigneront de la vitalité et de la richesse de la Francophonie en Roumanie.

Dear friends,
I will now ask for your acceptance to address a few remarks in English
On September 20, 2005, on the occasion of the 17th edition of the International Festival “George Enescu”, H.E. Mr. Traian BASESCU, President of Romania, has officially launched the Year of the Francophonie in Romania. The calendar of activities for the Year of the Francophonie includes a series of events (conferences, scientific workshops, documentary film and art festivals) to which all 63 member and observer stats of the OIF will participate. One of the major events in this year, held between March 20-28, was the series of conferences and meetings dedicated to the «Etats généraux de la Francophonie». The event took place in four renowned cultural centers in Romania: Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj and Timisoara; and was designed as a series of 6 fora dedicated to the enhancing of the cooperation in the francophone space.
This year we will celebrate another important date in the OIF history: 100 years since the birth of late Léopold Sedar SENGHOR, former President of Senegal, renowned poet, politician and one of the founding fathers – if I may say so – of the Francophonie. A special stamp emission in Romania will be dedicated to mark this historical figure, an event to this effect being organized in Bucharest in the presence of the Francophonie Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Abdou DIOUF.

Dear guests,
The particular attention granted to the OIF and, especially, to the Francophonie by the Romanian Government is best illustrated by the fact that a special position at the level of State Secretary has been created within our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. H.E. Mr. Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, a constant supporter of both the OIF and the promotion of the Francophonie, has personaly looked over the proper allocation of the necessary resources to this new Department within our institution.

I would conclude with a short reference to the recently concluded official visit in Washington by our Minister of Foreign Affairs.
I take this opportunity to, once again, sincerely thank our guests, in particular our close colleagues from the White House and the US Department of State, for their outstanding contribution to the success of this important bilateral moment. In general terms, discussions with our US counterparts focused mainly on issues pertaining to the Romanian-US cooperation framework, in the socio-economic and security domains. I would add that, throughout the discussion, the prospects of enhancing cooperation, partnership and political dialogue in the Black Sea area represented a specific topic.

With these final words, I would like now to invite all of you to spend some good time enjoying traditional Romanian cuisine and wines.

Thank you.