The head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis, who is on an official visit to Romania, highlighted on Thursday evening at the National Village Museum "Dimitrie Gusti", the role played in Romania by the Council for National Minorities in the protection and promotion of minorities.
"The 20 minorities recognized on your national territory and the priority given to their protection are an exemplary commitment. I learned with great interest how the Council for National Minorities, which manages to act as a bridge between these minorities and the Government, works. Several languages, several cultures, one country. A territory united precisely by the desire to understand and decide together. This plurality is a challenge and does not work by itself," said Ignazio Cassis.
The Swiss official participated in an event dedicated to the Romansh language, alongside the Minister of Labor, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity, Simona Bucura-Oprescu, representatives of the Swiss business environment, diplomats, parliamentarians, cultural figures.
He pointed out that Switzerland, like Romania, "is no stranger to multilingualism".
"The motto "Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno"/ "All for one, one for all" is inscribed on the dome of our Parliament. However, it is not enough to cling to history or phrases written many years ago. The more uncertainty and instability there is in the world, the more important it is to take care of a country's identity, in all its components. And to remember the value of dialogue, of listening to those who are different from us. This is the reason why we launched the International Romansh Language Week, the fourth and smallest national language in Switzerland, which is celebrating its fifth edition this year," added the Federal Councilor.
For her part, Simona Bucura-Oprescu said that the event celebrates "the linguistic diversity and the deep ties between Romania and Switzerland" and "offers us, once again, the opportunity to reflect on our identity and the need to protect our linguistic heritage".
"In this regard, we thank Switzerland for its support through the Social Inclusion Program, owing to which 2.5 million francs are allocated to fight discrimination and promote the traditions of Roma people in Romania. Today is about dignity, overcoming socio-economic obstacles for Roma communities, fighting stereotypes and racism, responsibility and inclusion. It is about the valuable contribution that our Roma fellow citizens have made and continue to make to the development of Romanian society," said Simona Bucura-Oprescu.
The Romanian writer and novel translator Magdalena Popescu-Marin and Jon Domenic Parolini, member of the government of the canton of Grisons, also delivered speeches.
The language spoken during the unique event, dedicated to the celebration of minorities, were Romanian, Italian, French, Romansh and German. The evening, hosted by the manager of the National Village Museum "Dimitrie Gusti", Paula Popoiu, was organized by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the host museum.
In Romania, February 20, 1856 marks the abolition of Roma slavery in the Romanian Principalities. In Switzerland, Romansh became the fourth national language on February 20, 1938. This is why Switzerland celebrates International Romansh Language Week every year. February 21 also marks International Mother Language Day.
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