The Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, stated on Tuesday that the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA remains constant, „regardless of the political color of the administrations here or overseas”.

„It is one of the topics discussed in the public space. What we know is the constancy of the Strategic Partnership Romania – the United States, regardless of the political color of the administrations here or overseas. Also, if I were to evoke the discussions we had in the official visit to the United States, both at the State Department and at the Department of Education, we are thinking about deepening the Strategic Partnership – the education component,” said Deca, at the Romanian Academy.

The minister, who participated in an event held at the Romanian Academy, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Romania’s participation in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, emphasized that there is „a tradition of exchanges and academic cooperation and research at the university level.

„Of course, the Fulbright Program is already a ‘trademark’, if you like, and its results can be seen in the closer connection between us. We have discussed with the American partners the renegotiation of the partnership agreement on Education, to include a collaboration in the field of public policies. We have challenges similar in certain fields and we have expertise from both sides, which can be brought together. And in this sense we want an increase in the level of collaboration,” added Deca.

Ligia Deca expressed her confidence that the upcoming elections „will not impact” in any way the Romanian-American mutual commitments.

„So I don’t think that the upcoming elections will in any way impact this commitment. It is, I know, at the intellectual level and at the level of all the institutions that generate public policies. (…) At most, I think we can have a reiteration of the commitment already existing between the two states. In short, I see no danger, I see only possibilities and opportunities,” said Deca.

In his turn, the Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, Bogdan Ivan, emphasized that Romania must have at its helm people who understand that our path can only be pro-Western and pro-American.

„The main discussion, when we talk about this aspect, is a very simple one: we don’t have many paths. We need Romania, from my point of view – and I say this very directly – to have in its leadership people who understand that our path it can only be pro-Western and pro-American. No other details and no further discussion,” said Ivan.

The two ministers participated, together with the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, in one of the discussion panels of the event „Romania at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival – 25th Anniversary Celebration 1999 – 2024”, organized by the Romanian Academy and the Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution from the USA.

AGERPRES