An interview with the Ambassador of Romania
Pak-Romania ties poised to grow

Columnist Ansar Mahmood Bhatti interviews the Romanian envoy.

This scribe interviewed Mr. Emil Ghitulescu, the Ambassador of Romania. Mr. Ghitulescu is a renowned scholar, journalist and writer. Mr. Ghitulescu is also Ambassador of Romania to Afghanistan. His books on Allama Iqbal have widely been praised both in Romania and Pakistan. On December 01, Romania is going to celebrate its national day. Ambassador Ghitulescu, among other things, also talked about the emerging world scenario, issues relating to Pak-Romanian bilateral relations and of course Romania’s accession to the European Union.
Here are excerpts from his interview.

Q: Pakistan and Romanian relations have always been on the move. What steps you have taken to further cement ties between the two countries?
A: Romania and Pakistan have traditionally good relations. Addressing the UN General Assembly’s annual debate among world leaders on September 12, 2002, the President of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, calling on harmony and cooperation, said, ‘In our globalizing world, religions and cultural diversity should be a vehicle for complementary creativity and dynamism, not the rationale for a new ideological and political confrontation’. On October 10, 2002 in Pakistan were held the general election, a step in the gradual transition to full democracy.
The two countries established diplomatic relations 37 years ago, but it is worth to say that the commercial ties between the two countries dated back to the ancient time. The Pakistani business community, which is established in the Romanian market, as well as the Honorary Consulate in Karachi and the Honorary Consulate of Romania in Lahore, have to play an important role in further strengthening the ties between the two countries. In 1999, a five-member delegation of Pakistan-Romania Friendship Forum visited Romania to further improve understanding and cooperation between the two countries. The Pak-Romania business council under the auspices of FPCCI, prepared a very large and strong economic mission for Romania, which arrived in Bucharest, on October 27, 2002.
A Romanian economic mission comprising 11 prominent Romanian businessmen visited Pakistan in 2001. On this occasion ‘Business opportunities between Romania and Pakistan’ was organised in Karachi. The President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Mircea Dan Geoana, and the Pakistani Minister of Finance Mr Shaukat Aziz sent special messages to this Forum. As a consequence of the joint efforts to develop and diversify our bilateral economic relations, including the active and imaginative participation of the Embassy of Romania in Pakistan, the volume of the commercial exchanges increased by 100 per cent in the first 8 months of 2001, comparative with the same period of the last year.
I am highly convinced that there is tremendous trade potential between Romania and Pakistan and there is much room for strengthening vital economic cooperation. Pakistan can surely benefit from Romania’s expertise in refineries, petrochemical plants, metallurgical industry, hydro and thermal power stations, machine building industry, cement plants, machine tools, agriculture, glass factory, development of coal mines for power generation wood and furniture industry.

Are you satisfied with the existing cultural relations between the two countries?
Romania and Pakistan were both blessed with a very rich culture molded by diverse influences throughout their colourful and vibrant history. On November 22, 2001, in Islamabad, was opened an outstanding Romanian Designers stained glass exhibition and the same was inaugurated in Karachi on December 8, 2001. In Islamabad, between 5 to 7 December, this year, will be displayed a Romanian Art Exhibition (stained glass, lamps and fashion jewelry of local ethnic inspiration).
I remember that a considerable number of young Pakistanis continue going to Romania for completing their studies. Romania expresses its interest to boost relations with Pakistan in education and cultural fields by a regular exchange of information, material and students on the basis of understandings, which may be concluded directly between universities of the two countries as well as by organizing the art exhibitions in the two countries.
Romania and Pakistan are blessed with a very rich culture molded through their colourful history by the contribution of various influences. I visited the Museums of Lahore and I was deeply impressed by Pakistani art works. I remember now only the great painters M.A. Kahmar Chaughtai, national artist of Pakistan and Ustad Allah Bux.
I launhced my book ‘Dialoogue between civilizations: Mihai Eminescu and Allam Iqbal’. It is a comparative study between these two great poets? Eminescu and Iqbal. They never met each other but they have surprising similarities. They studied in Germany and have shown appreciation for several renowned Western thinkers and writers, such as Immanuel Kant, Johann Wofgang, Goethe, Hegel, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and have admitted being influenced by some of them. The second edition of the book highlighted the ideas of liberty, justice and progress. The second edition is in English, Urdu and French. I have also a project to name after Allama Iqbal and Mihai Emenescu two important streets from Bucharest and respectively Islamabad.
On this occasion, the National Day of Romania, I expressed my hope that Pakistan-Romania ties will remain strong, vigorous and responsive and these two friendly countries have all potential for expanding their bilateral ties in the benefit of their peoples.

Q: What is latest on Romania’s accession to the European Union? When do you think Romania will become a member of the EU?
A: On October 9, 2002 the European Commission was poised for a bit bag enlargement releasing final progress reports on all 13-candidate nations. All the ten Laeken candidates should be ready to conclude their accession negotiation this year. These countries will be invited to join EU at the year-end summit in Copenhagen. The European Commission says that Romania has continued to make progress towards being a functioning market economy, for which the prospects have improved, mainly for reaching macroeconomic stability. Therefore, the report says that sustained and full implementation of planned measures together with completion of the reform agenda should allow Romania to be able to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union in the medium term.
Romania sees the European Union as the most complex structure of the European system and as the genuine hardcore of Europe’s future architecture. It is therefore, natural that full and rapid integration into the EU has become Romania’s fundamental strategic goal, totally corresponding to the national interest.
Besides being a member of the Council of Europe, Romania is also a member of NATO’s partnership for Peace, associate member of European Union (EU) and a strategic partner of the United Sates. During the EU summit in Helsinki in December 1999, Romania was accepted for consideration as candidate for European Union’s membership. Following that event, the December 2000 EU Summit in Nice outlined the details for granting Romanian accession to the EU. And now the Brussels summit has set 2007 deadline for Romania’s entry into the European Union.
The aspiring states, including Romania, are somewhat faced with a difficult target of reforming their economic and social structures, but the industrious Romanians are resolute to meet these challenges and proudly enter the EU.
What is more important for us is to reaffirm our place and stature in the comity of the democratic nations. The Romanian diplomacy will strive to secure NATO’s consent on Romania’s nomination for integration into its military and political wing, during the NATO summit in 2002 in Prague.

Q: What is the Romania view on the European integration?
A: European integration is probably the most important challenge for us in the foreseeable future, as well as the most effective instrument in responding to these challenges: bridging the economic gap and rebuilding social solidarity. A real contribution of our intellectual, cultural and human potential to the European construction will be possible only when our citizens will have unhindered access to the geographical, cultural, educational and professional space of all Europe. Romania shares the same fundamental concerns of Western Europe and is prepared to translate what could be considered a mere map location as the so called Eastern border of the United Europe into an unstinted process for implementing the European values in the adjacent geographical areas.

Q: I believe Romanian accords great importance to its relations with the Asian countries. Would you like to spell out your priorities in this respect?
A: President of Romania, Ion Iliescu, mentioned the strategic location of Romanian as a bridge between Western Europe and the Asian Economic space. Romania is committed to further strengthening and deepening its close relationship with all the countries of South Asia and Central Asia.
Romania wants to reinvigorate useful political and economic ties with countries from Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa. Romania quits being the prisoner of the immobile idea, that to renounce to its traditional economic partners, building series of fruitful connections all over the world, around its main target, the integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.
The strategic location of Romania as a bridge between Western European and the Asian economic space is a strong incentive to further developing and deepening its close relationship with all the countries of this region, particularly with South Asia and East Asia.