Minister Intotero meets representatives of Brisbane's Romanian community

The Minister for Romanians Abroad Natalia-Elena Intotero had a meeting with representatives of the Romanian community of Brisbane, Australia, who indicated their interest in keeping cultural and linguistic ties with Romania and the initiative of the Ministry of Romanians Abroad (MRP) to distribute folk costumes, provide educational support in Romanian and student camps. 

According to a press statement released on Thursday, in attendance were about 50 Romanians gathered in the association "Unirea Brisbane", as well as Romania's Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand Nineta Barbulescu, along with Romania's Consul General in Sydney Iulian Nitu. 

"Although they have settled on the Australian soil many years ago, the Romanian community is connected to what is happening in Romania and, at the same time, they want to keep up their cultural and linguistic ties to the motherland. The approximately 50 Romanians at the meeting with Minister Natalia-Elena Intotero voiced interest in the MRP initiatives to distribute Romanian folk costumes and provide educational support in Romanian, as well as the ARC camps for children of Romanian extraction from all over the world," reads the statement. 

Intotero also had a meeting with representatives of the Logan City Hall, including Mayor Cherie Dailey, during which the minister thanked for the support extended to the local Romanian community. At the same time, she also referred to MRP's support for twinning between Romanian and foreign cities, with the local administration officials saying they are interested in identifying a Romanian town to initiate such a partnership. 

In Brisbane, where, besides 2,000 Romanians, there are representatives of more than 200 ethnicities, the Romanian minister also had a meeting with Minister for Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs Stirling Hinchliffe. Intotero welcomed the Brisbane authorities' best practice example and thanked the Australian minister for supporting the cultural and linguistic identity of the Romanian community. 

Intotero presented a symbolic award from the Romanian government to Professor Traian Chirila of the Queensland Eye Institute, the inventor of artificial cornea and one of the highly appreciated experts at in the world in this area. 

During a visit to Queensland's Parliament, Intotero laid flowers to the portrait of a former prime minister of Queensland. 

"Another Romanian whose name is linked to an extremely important time in the history of Australia, holds a place of honour in the gallery of premiers of the Queensland state. The son of an emigrant from Romania, Edward Granville Theodore was born in Adelaide and he was the premier of Queensland, the second largest state in Australia, and he initiated a series of reforms that made him famous nationwide and became Australia's deputy prime minister." 

The visit to Australia and New Zealand was scheduled to continue in Sydney, Auckland and Wellington.