July 4th in Romania

As every year on July 4th, American citizens in Romania, alongside their Romanian friends are celebrating “the red, white and blue with parties, concerts and film-screenings

Diana Vijeu, 04.07.2017, 13:51

This year, one day ahead of the already-traditional party, the US Embassy in Bucharest invited the Romanian public to the screening of the biopic “42: The Story of Jackie Robinson. The film tells the story of the great player who erased colour barriers in baseball, and the choice was not made randomly, as Ron Hawkins the Counsellor for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest has said baseball is a metaphor for democracy (…) anybody can play and everybody has to play by the same rules. The film screening in Bucharest enjoyed the participation of Sharon Robinson, the daughter of the legend-making Jackie Robinson, of three professional baseball players and of many high-school students, among others.

Ron Hawkins: “Its the day that we celebrate the independence of the United States of America. And this year we are incredibly pleased to also celebrate the 70th anniversary of when Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier in baseball. Now, think about that. I said 70 years ago, that is 1947, 8 years before the US got rid of segregation, 8 years before Rosa Parks. So, we are talking about the decade before Martin Luther King came on the scene. This is a major milestone in the civil rights movement, really ahead of the modern civil rights movement. And it was when America was starting to embrace its diversity. And thats what we are celebrating. We are celebrating diversity. We are also celebrating the fact that baseball is a great metaphor for democracy. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the United States and Romania, its a great opportunity to use this metaphor: anybody can play and everybody has to play by the same rules. Baseball is democracy

In his already traditional 4th of July message, the US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm has also dwelt on the importance of the Strategic Partnership and the US-Romanian relations:

Hans Klemm: “We are celebrating the 241st anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by the United States of America. This year we are also marking the 20th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States. This partnership was recently strongly reaffirmed by President Trump and President Iohannis at the White House in Washington. Looking forward, the United States Embassy and I, well now work with our Romanian friends to strengthen the Strategic Partnership across every dimension. Our priorities remain to promote security, to promote democracy and the rule of law and to promote prosperity. Please join us in celebrating Americas Independence Day.

As the US Ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, has said, earlier this month, on June 9th, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis met with US President Donald Trump at the White House. The main topics of discussion were the Romanian – US Strategic Partnership, the fight against corruption and terrorism, and the budget earmarked for defence.

The two presidents said the Partnership must grow stronger and define bilateral relations, because it is important to both nations. According to Klaus Iohannis, the Partnership with the US has helped Romania become what it is today: a solid democracy, with a solid an sustainable economic growth, a country who’s been standing together with the US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iohannis also underlined the fact that the Romanian – American relations and the trans-Atlantic ties are vital.

Klaus Iohannis: Romania is a member of the European Union. And I think it’s the best interest of you, Mr. President, to have a strong European Union as a partner. This is vital for all of us. Our relationship, the transatlantic link is vital. The transatlantic link is not about diplomacy, about policy, its at the basis of our Western civilization. And together, we will make it stronger. Together, we will make it better, the Romanian President told Donald Trump. NATO and the European Union do not have to compete against each other. They have to work together. They have to work in such a manner as to produce synergetic effects. Make NATO stronger. Make Europe stronger. Make the United States of America stronger, the Romanian president also said.

In turn, the US President Donald Trump hailed the relationship with Romania and stated that the Strategic Partnership covers many dimensions, including economic, military and cultural ties. The White House leader thanked the Romanian people for their support in combating terrorism.

The conclusion of the meeting between the two heads of state was drawn by President Trump himself, who wrote on Facebook: Great honour to welcome President Klaus Iohannis to the White House. The future of Romania and Romania’s relationship with the United States is very, very bright.

Happy 4th of July to all our American friends, wherever you may be!