Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu participated in an event organised by the Embassy of the United States of America in Bucharest, dedicated to the Fulbright Programme, ahead of the start of a new academic year which will mark the departure of a new cohort of Romanian grantees to the United States and the arrival of American grantees in Romania.

According to a press release the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday, in her remarks, Minister Oana Toiu highlighted the significant contribution of the Fulbright Programme to strengthening the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States, emphasising its role in building bridges between people, ideas and cultures.

She also expressed her gratitude to the Board of the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission and all partners involved in implementing the programme.

The head of Romanian diplomacy said that the Fulbright Programme has gone beyond the strictly academic exchange framework since its inception, becoming a catalyst for dialogue between the two countries, for innovation and for training the leaders of tomorrow.

She remarked that the programme’s evolution reflects the ongoing development of Romanian-American bilateral relations. Over the decades, thousands of Romanian and American researchers have participated in the programme, thereby strengthening the ties between the two states. Today, the programme is adapting to new global realities, encouraging interdisciplinary research and the exploration of emerging fields, MAE shows.

At the same time, the minister underlined the importance of the involvement of universities, private foundations and the corporate sector, which have already contributed to diversifying the Fulbright experience in Romania. Expanding these partnerships will allow a greater number of young people to benefit from this transformative experience, directly contributing to the strengthening of bilateral relations, the quoted source mentioned.

The Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission, established in 1960 to manage the Fulbright Programme in Romania, is one of the oldest and most active Fulbright commissions in Europe. Through its programmes, it annually facilitates the academic mobility of a significant number of Romanian and American students, teaching staff and researchers, offering scholarships for study, research and teaching in universities and centres of excellence in both countries, according to MAE.

AGERPRES