Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  On 28 November 2024, the Embassy of Romania in Tashkent hosted a reception to celebrate Romania’s National Day. The event was attended by officials from various ministries and agencies, members of the diplomatic corps, cultural and scientific figures, and representatives from the business community.

During the celebration, guests were presented with a photo exhibition dedicated to the 106th anniversary of the Great Union of Romania, as well as videos showcasing the country’s cultural heritage and tourist attractions.

Romanian Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Daniel Cristian Chobanu, emphasized that the development of bilateral relations with Uzbekistan is one of Romania’s priorities in Central Asia. "This year, the key event was the round of political consultations between our foreign ministries at the level of secretary of state/deputy minister (Bucharest, on 4 November 2024). The previous round was held in Samarkand on 18 November 2022. The new round followed a successful meeting last year between the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency Mrs. Luminița Odobescu, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Bakhtiyor Saidov," said Daniel Cristian Chobanu.

He mentioned that a valuable contribution to strengthening bilateral cooperation was the session of the Romania-Uzbekistan Joint Commission on Road Transport (Bucharest, March 27-28, 2024). A landmark moment was the liberalization of bilateral road transport. Romania pays significant attention to the development of the Constanța port and the promotion of the international transport route connecting the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.

The Ambassador also highlighted visits to Uzbekistan by Mihai Precup, head of Romania’s Agency for Monitoring and Evaluation of State Enterprises (on 4-6 June 2024), and Carmen Moraru, Secretary of State at Romania’s Ministry of Finance (on 22-28 September 2024). There were also visits to Romania by a delegation from Uzbekistan’s Agency for Social Protection under the President (on 28 January – on 3 February 2024), the Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce (on 16 April 2024), and the General Prosecutor’s Office and Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies of Uzbekistan (on 22-26 April 2024).

Additionally, a technical stop was made by a delegation from Romania’s Ministry of Environment, Waters, and Forests, led by Secretary-General Alexandru Avram (on 11-12 June 2024), and a visit to Uzbekistan by Radu Dinescu, General Secretary of Romania’s National Union of Road Transporters (on 3-5 September 2024). A business delegation from Uzbekistan’s IT Park, headed by CEO Farhod Ibragimov, visited Romania in November 2024.

"I am pleased to note that over the past three years, our bilateral trade has been steadily growing, which is a significant indicator of our existing potential. This year, we have witnessed growing interest from Romanian companies and agencies in hiring workforce from Uzbekistan. The number of Romanian tourists visiting Uzbekistan is also increasing," he added.

The Ambassador emphasized that several significant events took place in the capital of Uzbekistan this year: a painting and sculpture exhibition dedicated to the great Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși (February 2024), a photo exhibition about the renowned Romanian composer George Enescu (March 2024), the screening of the historical documentary "Maria – Heart of Romania" (March 2024), and an exhibition of national Romanian and Uzbek costumes (June 2024). Romania also participated in the Tashkent International Jazz Festival with an outstanding concert by Petre Ionuțescu.

This year, Romania was represented for the first time at the Boysun Bahori International Folklore Festival with a wonderful performance by the "Doina Gorjului" artistic group. Romania also took part in the Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art with a live performance titled "Ephemeral Echoes."

The Ambassador thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan for its valuable support of many cultural and public diplomacy events organized by the Romanian Embassy in cooperation with various partners.

"As an EU member state, Romania will continue to be a strong advocate for the development of relations between the European Union and Uzbekistan," said Daniel Cristian Chobanu.