Diplomat discusses cultural identity; goals for future

Speaking to a capacity crowd in the Walnut Room of the IMU, the Honorable Sorin Dumitru, Romanian Ambassador to the U.S., spoke about Romania's desire to integrate into Western Europe. \nThe lecture, entitled "Romania's Evolving Role in the International Environment: Choices, Challenges, Changes," was sponsored by the Russian and Eastern European Institute. The lecture highlighted the goals Romania has for the future, and the ways in which to accomplish these goals.\nAmbassador Dumitru emphasized the honor he felt of speaking at IU. He spoke of the Russian and Eastern European Institute as a a place that gathers bright minds and bright intellectuals from Romania to keep the Romanian culture alive. This prevailing sense of identity and a pride in the Romanian culture was a theme throughout his lecture. \nDumitru believes this culture and pride will uplift Romania, finally resulting in an acceptance into Western Europe, North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. Romania is the second-largest country in Eastern Europe. \nDavid Raslan, director of the Russian and Eastern European Institute, said Dumitru covered most of the key issues regarding Romania's desire to become part of Europe and the West after years of living under the worst police state in Eastern Europe.\n"They were terribly isolated for a long time," Raslan said. "Their tradition is associated with the culture of Italy and France, and were closely associated with them before the communist rule." \nDumitru said it is not by luck Romania has survived this oppression.\n"It's not by chance Romania has survived, and it has proved the strength of their identity," Dumitru said. "Romania had the energy to come back to the world, and I thank God it was only after half-century of rule."\nDumitru's lecture was broken down into different segments, including the challenges of joining NATO and the EU, the external challenges Romania has faced and changes within Romania.\nDumitru said the students of Romania and the role they played was crucial to the revival of Romania and eventually bringing the downfall of a repressive regime.\n"It's not by chance. It took students to cut down the communist flag," Dumitru said. "This generation started to make a difference."\nThirteen years later, acceptance into NATO is still pending.\n"In the mid-nineties the idea of full integration into NATO became very tangible," Dumitru said. \nThere are challenges to overcome, Dumitru said, but membership into NATO is the goal for Romania now, with membership into the EU later to come. Dumitru outlined a strategic projection plan for membership to become a reality. By becoming a member of NATO, Romania would gain military security. Membership also validates Romania returning to the status it once held, and to where it belongs, Dumitru said.\n"Romania has a meaningful track record of being part of events that came after the challenges of the Cold War," Dumitru said. \nDumitru said the upcoming year will be filled with challenges.\n"I want to confess we have in front of us a very important and difficult year," Dumitru said. "On NATO, I think we're on track, but some things still need to be done on the ground."\nOne of the missions Romania must accomplish, said Dumitru, is one in which Romania makes itself more visible. Romania has been a "well-kept secret," Dumitru said, but it is a huge mission to make Romania more visible. \nSever Voinescu, the Consul General of Romania in Chicago said the ambassador covered a lot of important issues of Romanian foreign policy.\n"NATO and EU are very intricate issues and he was able to create a real image of the process," Voinescu said. \nComing to Bloomington was important, Voinescu said, because IU is a center of Romanian culture, a sentiment Dumitru expressed during his lecture. IU has the only Romanian Studies program in the U.S., according to the IU Office of Communications and Marketing. \n"It's very important to let people know around in very special places, like the universities, about Romania," Voinescu said. "There is a Romanian cell among IU and it is very important and very precious to us."\nVoinescu said students do care about Romania because students are generally very curious.\n"I think students are very curious, especially things that challenge their imagination," Voinescu said. "You have a strong political science department, and the political evolution in the past decade is fascinating."\nGraduate student Jennifer Cash said she thought the talk was a really good one, confirming Voinescu's sentiments of students being interested in Romania and the new role Romania hopes to play in the international community.