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President of the Romanian Senate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu on Tuesday welcomed Secretary General of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo, pointing out that the Francophonie is part of Romania's national identity.
"Mr Calin Popescu-Tariceanu congratulated Mrs Louise Mushikiwabo, a former foreign minister of the Republic of Rwanda, on being recently appointed as OIF secretary general, pointing out that the Francophonie is part of Romania's national identity and a bridge to countries on other continents, especially Africa," the Senate said Tuesday in a press statement.
Tariceanu highlighted Romania's commitment to strengthening its already recognised role within the OIF as a regional pole of European Francophonie, and to supporting the priorities of the new secretary general's mandate, which are in line with Romania's foreign policy and sustainable development priorities.
At the same time, he praised the work of the OIF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (BRECO) and the Office of the Francophonie University Agency for Central and Eastern Europe, both headquartered in Bucharest.
"Issues related to strengthening the political dimension of the Francophonie and consolidating the profile and relevance of the organisation as an international actor were addressed, with emphasis on the need for a more efficient and focused use of resources and means, both at governmental and parliamentary levels, in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the third millennium Francophonie. The officials highlighted the importance for OIF and its operators to capitalise on the whole institutional, human, experiential and creational potentials that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie can contribute to promoting the goals of the organisation and a more in-depth mutual knowledge among the member states."
Also attending an official dinner extended in honour of Mushikiwabo, who paid her first official visit to Romania after taking office, on January 1, 2019, were Senator Catalin Dumitru Toma, vice-president of the Romanian Senate's Committee on Public Administration and a member of the Delegation of the Romanian Parliament to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, and Senator Titus Corlatean, a member of the Romanian Senate's European Affairs Committee, a member of the Delegation of the Romanian Parliament to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and chairman of the Romanian Senate's Romanian-French Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Also part of the OIF Secretary General delegation were Director of the Bucharest-based OIF Office for Central and Eastern Europe (BRECO) Rennie Yotova, and Jean-Pierre Ndoutoum, director of the Quebec-based Francophone Institute for Sustainable Development.
