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Africa Day celebrated in Bucharest
African diplomats accredited in Romania celebrated Africa Day at the National Library of Bucharest on Wednesday, with Minister-Delegate for Relations with Romanians Abroad Dan Stoenescu highlighting Romania's wish to be an "active player" in the relations of the European Union and Africa. "The African Union has a strong and reliable partner - the European Union and its member countries," Stoenescu said on the occasion.
He appreciated the progress of African authorities in peacekeeping in Somalia, Mali and the Central African Republic.
"The relations with the countries of the African continent are an important component of Romania's foreign policy," the minister assured; he added that Romania-Africa economic relations is possible by developing concrete projects, and education is another important element of these links. "More than 50,000 specialists [of African countries] were trained in Romanian universities," he mentioned.
Moroccan ambassador Faouz el Achchabi, dean of the African diplomatic corps, estimated that the 21st century will be Africa's; this is not a dream of Africans, but their belief for which all efforts are deployed, she asserted. She added that the African countries also have a calendar for their relations with Romania, and the African group proposed an annual road map to promote this closeness wanted by both sides. She concluded her speech referring to the young generation of the continent, a resource more precious than its platinum, gold, or oil.
Celebrations continue in Bucharest until Saturday, with the African Days Festival featuring photograph exhibition, dance demonstrations and film screenings at the Bucharest's Student House and Venus Park.
Africa Day is the anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union) on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It has grown into a tradition in all African countries, as a symbol of the continent's unity in the fight for independence, development and economic progress.