Ambassador of Romania to the Philippines Raduta Dana Matache lauded President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for his apparent openness to diplomatic cooperation.
Read more here: https://mb.com.ph/2022/06/15/marcos-meets-envoys-from-europe-africa/
“I am very honored and delighted to have been received by the President-elect. As you may know he accepted to me, the diplomatic corps, when he was a candidate and if I could say I believe this is very consistent,” Matache said in a press conference at the BBM headquarters on Wednesday, June 15, following her courtesy call to Marcos.
“The President-elect is sending a very strong message that the Philippines is open for cooperation all over the world. Frankly, we, Romania, as far as I know many other countries appreciate this strong message of openness and willingness to cooperate,” she continued.
She then brought up Marcos's father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., for opening diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Romania.
“We touched upon several issues, we looked at the diplomatic relations between Romania and the Philippines. Fifty years ago, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. decided to open relations for the first time with the country behind the iron curtain, and that was Romania. And that was a very bold step at the time,” she said.
“We celebrate this year 50 years of diplomatic relations this year. It's a milestone, it's a momentous event, and we hope that the next 50 years will lead to increased cooperation,” Matache said.
In 1972, Marcos Sr. opened diplomatic relations between Romania and Yugoslavia, with both countries being under the Eastern European socialist bloc at the time.
Matache added that she and Marcos discussed the looming food crisis, the energy industry and clean-energy alternatives, the regional context between the Philippines and Romania, and possible student and cultural exchanges.