Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Baku hosted an event on the occasion of Great Union Day of Romania on December 1.

The day commemorated the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia, which declared the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918.

The grand reception brought together the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Azerbaijan, representatives of Romanian diaspora and public figures of Azerbaijan.

In his welcoming speech Romanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Dan Iancu said he is very proud to recall that 25 years ago, on December 11 1991, Romania was the second country to recognize the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

We are also getting close these days to a landmark event in the history of relationships between Romania and Azerbaijan, the ambassador noted.

"During these past 25 years, the ties between our two nations have grown ever stronger in all areas – political, economic, cultural and humanitarian. Romania and Azerbaijan enjoy now close and solid relations, founded on true friendship, solidarity and trust. The bilateral Strategic Partnership signed in 2009 – the first such arrangement concluded by Azerbaijan with an EU Member State – gave full recognition, but also new momentum, to an already very dynamic cooperation," he said.

Iancu emphasized Romania has always been and will remain a close partner of Azerbaijan in the international arena. We support the overall development of the dialogue between Azerbaijan and the EU, as well as the early launch of negotiations on a new Agreement, which should be as ambitious as possible.

"As you know, the Embassy of Romania in Baku has carried out, for four consecutive terms, the task of local NATO Contact Point Embassy. In this capacity, we are proud to have been part and parcel of the effort to strengthen the dialogue between Azerbaijan and the Alliance and to inform Azerbaijani public opinion about NATO’s policies and values," he said.

The ambassador said that over these past two months since he has taken up duty in Baku, he had the chance to experience, time and again, the trust and openness of the Azerbaijani authorities towards his country. "On a personal note, I was moved by the friendship and generosity shown by every Azerbaijani citizen I met, both in a professional and a personal capacity. For all these, I am deeply grateful," he said.

In turn, Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, congratulated Romanian people on the holiday on behalf of the Azerbaijani government.

Mammad-Guliyev added that the Romania-Azerbaijan relations are of strategic nature.

The two countries have a joint action plan on international arena, he said, expressing his hope for the plan to be implemented soon.

He stressed the importance of work of the bilateral intergovernmental commission, noting that Azerbaijan and Romania will discuss economic and energy cooperation at the next meeting.

Mammad-Guliyev also thanked Romania as a EU member for its support.

Romania and Azerbaijan enjoy traditionally very close and friendly relationships developing since 2009 within the framework of the bilateral Strategic Partnership.

During the past three years there has been a steady increase of the bilateral trade turnover. For the whole of 2015 (according to Romanian data) the bilateral trade stood at $161.3 million, up 13 percent compared to 2014, with a balance in favor of Azerbaijan.

On December 1, 1918 the People’s Assembly in the city of Alba Iulia (South-West Transylvania) unanimously adopted a Resolution stating the union of the provinces of Transylvania, Banat, Crisana and Maramures (until that time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), all with Romanian-majority population, with the Kingdom of Romania. Coming in the very aftermath of the World War I, “the Great Union of 1918” (as it is called by Romanians) marked the accomplishment of the process of national reawakening started out by the formation of the modern Romanian state in 1859.

This historic event reflects the fulfillment of a long-lasting desire for freedom, unity and national dignity of many generations of Romanians. December 1 is celebrated by Romanians all over the world as a symbol of solidarity, hope and triumph against adverse circumstances. It reflects, to this day, Romania’s attachment to the principles of tolerance, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and respect for cultural values of all people.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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