Grigore Gafencu "was a remarkable personality, through his intellectual distinction and finesse of analyses", Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Monday in an address during the event marking 130 years since the birth of intellectual and diplomat Grigore Gafencu.
"In the current context, in which the rules-based international order, democracy and liberalism are challenged, when we hear the sound of guns again near Romania's borders, I consider that the remembrance of emblematic figures of diplomats who contributed to the formation and consolidation of our modern foreign policy, including in the context of this year's anniversary for our institution, is all the more important. Gafencu's Romania and today's Romania are fundamentally different. We returned to the community of principles and values to which we always knew that we fundamentally belonged, as Gafencu wanted. Today, Romania is an active, reliable, involved and respected member of the European Union and NATO, the strongest politico-military alliance in history," said the head of Romanian diplomacy, Agerpres.ro informs.
Minister Aurescu stressed that "in the current complicated international context, it remains essential to implement a foreign and security policy that focuses on finding the best solutions for stability and security in the region, at European and Euro-Atlantic level, as well as on ensuring the well-being and security of our citizens".
"Grigore Gafencu led Romanian diplomacy in a period of complex challenges at European level, of irreducible ideological polarizations, when Romania sought to defend its identity and territorial integrity, in a very complex geopolitical complex. Grigore Gafencu was a true intellectual , an exceptional diplomat and especially a convinced European," said Bogdan Aurescu, adding that Gafencu has established a "professional and human standard" in Romanian diplomacy.
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