Her Majesty Margareta speaks to Romanians and Moldovans in Spain: We are doing everything to be closer to you

Her Majesty Margareta speaks to Romanians and Moldovans in Spain: We are doing everything to be closer to you

Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, and Her Royal Highness Prince Consort Radu visited the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Madrid, on Wednesday, on the third day of their visit this week to the Kingdom of Spain, told Agerpres.

The Custodian of the Romanian Crown and the Prince Consort, together with the Ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of Spain, George Gabriel Bologan, were welcomed by the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Kingdom of Spain, Eugeniu Revenco, and signed in the Book of Honour.

After visiting the headquarters of the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Madrid, Her Majesty and the Prince Consort paid a visit to the Presidency of the Community of Madrid, where they were welcomed by Miguel Angel Garcia Martin, Regional Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Local Administration, and by Cristina Menendez, Director General for Cooperation with the State and the EU, but also with numerous community representatives from Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

"Your presence here is an act of gratitude towards the role of the monarchy in the history and contemporary development of Romania, it is a reparative act towards the moment when some forbade the king to return to his own homeland. The crown consolidated Romania through loyalty, courage, respect, seriousness and modesty," stated the Romanian ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain.

"King Mihai The First's speech in the Romanian Parliament in 2011 stayed in the memory of those who stick to principles in politics, it stayed in the memory of those who do not empty religion of faith and love their country knowing the value of sacrifice," said Ambassador Bologan, who recalled with this occasion a few quotes from His Majesty's speech: "The world of tomorrow cannot exist without morality, without faith and without memory; Cynicism, Narrow Interest and Cowardice must not occupy our lives; Romania moved forward through the ideals of the great people of our history, who served them with responsibility and generosity; Demagoguery, Dissimulation, Selfishness, clinging to power and seeing only one's own interest have no place in Romanian institutions."

At the same time, the Ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of Spain wanted to end his speech "with the final impact that remained imprinted in my memory and in my soul" from the speech of His Majesty, King Mihai I, in the Parliament of Romania: "It is only in our power to make the country stable, prosperous and admired in the world. I don't see today's Romania as an inheritance from our parents, but as a country that we borrowed from our children. May God help us!'"

For his part, the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Kingdom of Spain welcomed the support of Her Majesty Margaret "for the European course" of Moldova and for "its return to the great, strong and prosperous European family." Ambassador Eugeniu Revenco also emphasized the good cooperation and complementarity existing between the two communities, the one from Romania and the one from the Republic of Moldova, in Spain: "I am glad that the two communities interfere, they are very well integrated here in Spain and they are quite welcomed by the Spanish authorities," he said.

"Where there are Romanians there is also a bit of Romania."

Her Majesty Margareta thanked for how warm she was received in Spain together with Prince Consort Radu. "We feel very close to Spain, to the royal family in Spain and to you," stated the Custodian of the Romanian Crown in front of the members of the communities from Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

"We are very involved in this closeness of Moldova to Europe and we want to do everything we can to be closer to the Moldovans," emphasized Her Majesty, adding that "everyone has their rightful place in this world."

In his turn, Prince Consort Radu welcomed the activity of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid and showed His appreciation towards the Kingdom of Spain with which, according to his words, our country has a link "that goes beyond common culture or national identity." "For so many years, you have made our compatriots feel part of a very beautiful and large family which, of course, has European borders, but also a Latin soul and Christian faith. (...) There are few places in the world where we we feel so good because there is a link between Spain and Romania that goes beyond the common culture or the national identity; in the depths of our being there are a lot of things that are common to us," emphasized His Royal Highness.

Prince Consort Radu also thanked the members of the two communities for their sacrifices. "Where there are Romanians there is also a bit of Romania, so every time we have the opportunity to thank you for what you do for your families, whether they are in Chisinau, Balti, Iasi or Galati, Cluj or Timisoara, you have been making this sacrifice for a generation so that the country borrowed from your children is not in vain. We consider that we are a part of the identity of the Republic of Moldova, just as the Republic of Moldova is a part of the identity of the Crown, and we are somewhat of a fulfilled family, at least for the hours we spend together," His Highness said.

The commitment to the country "is not for one term, but for a lifetime," said Prince Consort Radu. "His Majesty has been working for the good of Romania for 34 years and has no intention of stopping. We are still happy to do our part so that you can look to society and to the future every day with your heads held high," concluded His Royal Highness.

Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Consort Radu listened to a musical performance by Romanian violinists Lavinia and Marian Moraru, who played Ciprian Porumbescu's "Balada" and Romanian folk dances, and chatted with the children present in the hall and representatives of the two communities, who were visibly delighted and touched by this meeting.

On Wednesday morning, Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Consort Radu visited the Spanish Civil Guard Headquarters where they were welcomed by Gregorio Perez Turiel, brigadier general and head of the Secretariat for International Cooperation, and lieutenant colonel Francisco Julia Barroso Martinez. The Custodian of the Romanian Crown and His Royal Highness were received by Director general de la Guardia Civil Leonardo Marcos Gonzalez, who presented the work of the institution where they had the opportunity to visit the operational centre.

Her Majesty Margareta, together with His Royal Highness Prince Consort Radu, is visiting the Kingdom of Spain this week, during which they have scheduled several public meetings in the country's capital Madrid and Toledo.

On Tuesday evening, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown and Prince Consort Radu met with King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia at the Zarzuela Palace, the residence of the Spanish monarchs on the outskirts of Madrid. The meeting was private.

On Tuesday morning, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown and Prince Consort Radu visited the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid where Her Majesty Margareta planted two peonies, the National Flower of Romania.

On Monday, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown and the Prince Consort were guests of the EU Satellite Centre (SatCen) near the Spanish capital, followed by a speech by Her Majesty Margareta at the Madrid headquarters of the Elcano Royal Institute for international and strategic studies. In her speech, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown drew attention to the vulnerability of the Republic of Moldova in the current "turbulent" context in the region, stressing that "the EU should maintain its determination and focus on an eventual accession of the Republic of Moldova." Her Majesty said that the objective she has assumed, recalling in this regard the support of the Government of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, "is simply to ensure that the Republic of Moldova is not consumed by the tragedy now affecting Ukraine, that its reforming government is supported in achieving its goal and that the people of Moldova are allowed to decide their own future, instead of it being decided by others."

The visit of Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Consort Radu to the Kingdom of Spain takes place from September 25-29, during the country's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.