Romania recognises Africa’s essential role – The Mail & Guardian

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Romania’s ambassador to South Africa, Monica-Cecilia Sitaru. (DIRCO/X)

Please share some of your highlights as a diplomat and in your personal capacity since arriving in South Africa.

I was impressed by the meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa on the occasion of presenting my credentials, and the meetings I had with the South African officials at all levels. The warm way in which I was received by the South African authorities at the local/regional level and by the people in the rural area left a positive and long-lasting mark on me.

From personal experience, it is the outstanding natural beauty of South Africa; the jacaranda season in Pretoria, where the trees flourish with a deep purple colour. I have to mention the beautiful fauna and flora of South Africa, represented through the King Protea, a flower of unique beauty, a beauty as diverse and as powerfully moving as the Rainbow Nation in which it resides.  

It has been impossible not to be impressed by South Africa’s strong sense of unity, when it comes to rugby, a sport which is celebrated with a pride hard to fully transmit in mere simple words.

Please provide some background on the relationship between Romania and South Africa. 

Official relations were established in 1990 at the consular level and then upgraded to diplomatic level in 1991.

Since the opening of the first Romanian mission in South Africa, there have been many achievements at the diplomatic level, visits at all levels, including at the level of the president and prime minister, very good cooperation in various fields, but also extremely valuable people-to-people programmes, including at the sportive and educational level, cultural, but also in medicine, which created a beautiful bond between the citizens of the two states, between young people, between athletes, between inspirational cultures.

But even before the opening of the first Romanian diplomatic mission, during 1960s, 70s and 80s Romania actively supported the liberation movement in South Africa, sponsoring or co-sponsoring a number of resolutions at the United Nations and other international fora and was among the first countries to praise the abolition of the apartheid regime and to re-establish diplomatic relations with the new South Africa.

Romania adopted the National Strategy for Africa, titled Romania – Africa: Partnership for the Future Through Peace, Development and Education. How have you implemented this in South Africa?

Due to the strong ties with African continent in the past, in November 2023 Romania launched a new Strategy for Africa, designed to revive the country’s relations with African continent and strengthen cooperation with African states in education, peace and security, economic cooperation and agriculture. 

The document recognises the essential role of the African continent in shaping global trends in the 21st century. Elements such as Africa’s demography and resources or the role of African states in the United Nations are duly recognised, as well as in major global debates on the impact of climate change, ensuring peace, security and development, the fight against terrorism, etc.

The strategy aims to restore Romania’s relations with Africa, starting from the existence of a promising basis for collaboration, as well as a potential in various fields. The document details the defining elements of Romania’s profile in Africa, with the aim of outlining a specific role for our country in relation to the African continent, starting from the significant capital of sympathy that Romania benefits from in Africa.

The document reflects our engagement to support Africa in a spirit of pragmatic, honest and balanced cooperation between equal partners. We want to make this a turning point in our political and strategic approach towards Africa and South Africa ranks among our top priorities. 

We attach great importance to the economic dimension of our cooperation. South Africa is Romania’s most important commercial partner in sub-Saharan Africa and also the most important sub-Saharan African investor in the Romanian economy.

We are committed to stepping up our involvement in our value-added fields, such as food safety and agriculture, education and training, security and protection, IT and cybersecurity, emergencies and disaster management. 

Since your tenure began in South Africa you have given special focus to the assistance programme for township and rural schools.   

In 2023 the Romanian embassy in Pretoria launched the assistance programme for township and rural schools. In the past two years, eight schools received electronics and IT equipment as well as learning and teaching materials, in Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. 

In total, 7 742 students have benefited of these programme in the educational domain, which is part of the Official Development Assistance for South Africa and is financed by the Romanian government through Romanian Agency for International Development. 

Africa will remain a priority region for the period 2024-27. Therefore, starting with 2023, at least 17% of the Official Development Assistance of the ministry of foreign affairs funds will be allocated to Africa. 

The decision to involve our embassy in this initiative had the starting point also in the programme to help schools from disadvantaged backgrounds, deriving from the understanding that education is the only option for these children to have a chance at a better life. There is a big difference between rural and urban schools, with the former having far fewer opportunities. I visited several rural and township schools. I met and spoke to students, parents and teachers and I have tried to understand their needs, wishes and aspirations. This programme is a flagship and impactful initiative. 

Romania’s commitment to South Africa’s educational sector does not end with these donations. It will continue in the years to come and will strengthen the ties between Romania and South Africa. 

We believe that such kinds of projects are really useful for the South African learners and teachers as well as the local communities. It is also important to underline that to every event in which we supplied schools in rural areas and townships, present were the deputy minister and directors of the department of international relations and cooperation, MECs, the ministry of basic education, local authorities and ambassadors. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for their support.

How many projects do you aim to complete while you are the ambassador? What has been your embassy’s most promising programme?

Together with my colleagues from the ministry of foreign affairs and the embassy, ​I want to carry out as many such projects in the field of education as possible because I am convinced they have and will have a very big impact in the education of these children in the future. This year we will exceed 10 schools that will receive assistance in the educational field.

Also, we funded several knowledge transfer projects in the field of food safety and regulation, building media resilience to disinformation, diplomatic training and management of emergency situations where specialists from South Africa took part in our capacity-building programmes.  

Recently nine learners from disadvantaged communities were awarded scholarships to study in Romania… 

The scholarships granted this year by Romania to many African states are circumscribed by Romania’s Strategy for Africa as well as the achievement of its objectives, South Africa being a priority state. The students studying at present in Romania are from Eastern Cape and these scholarships are a continuation of the rural school programme that started in 2023.

The scholarships cover enrolment and tuition fees, monthly scholarship allowance, accomodation in student dormitories, access to the student canteens and local transport facilities — in accordance with the conditions offered to Romanian students. 

I have also good news about the first recipients of the Romanian scholarships. Despite only being in Romania for almost three months, the nine scholarship holders have immersed themselves in the local culture and communities of Brasov and Sibiu. One of the student finds joy in sharing her origins with curious locals and embracing the diversity at a small church services in Sibiu. Another student excels in the cultural and language programme, particularly shining in his presentations in the Romanian language. The culinary delights of Romania have also been appreciated. Overall, the students have been welcomed by the Romanian people and universities.  

And what demonstrates Romania’s commitment to Africa, South Africa in particular, is that this 2025-26 academic year we will continue granting scholarships and equipping schools in rural areas and townships.

How do you describe Romania as a travel destination, what are some of the major attractions and do South Africans require a visa?

Romania is a country, like South Africa, of unique beauty, hard to capture in images or words. From the crowded yet lively streets of Bucharest and the historic and natural beauty of Transylvania to the quiet, peaceful wonders of the Danube Delta, Romania is a country embellished with natural wonders that impress all those who visit it. I come from a country with a diverse amount of architectural beauty, such as the traditional monasteries in Moldova and Bucovina, but also the Parliament Palace in the capital, and the Presidential Residence, Cotroceni Palace. Areas such as the Transfagarsan and Transalpina Highway, Prahova Valley resorts and the many castles were crafted hundred years ago. 

We would be keen and happy to welcome more South African tourists in our beautiful country.

Concerning a visa, on 1 January 2025 Romania became a full Schengen member state. The Romanian authorities have been issuing full Schengen visas since that date. The maximum duration of authorised stay in the territory of the states in the Schengen area for third-country nationals, regardless of whether they have the obligation to hold a visa or are exempt from a such obligation, cannot exceed 90 days during any 180-day period, regardless of the type of passport held. This includes South Africans, who require a visa to enter the Schengen area.

The ministry of foreign affairs of Romania has operationalised the eViza electronic portal, http://evisa.mae.ro/. The long-stay visa requires a different procedure.

What would you like South Africans to know about Romania?

I think it is essential that the world knows that after a communist regime of totalitarianism, after a brutal revolution, Romania has learned from its past, and has thrived since it become not only a democratic country, but also a respected country, as well as a member of both Nato and the European Union, which has had an important influence on Romania’s political stance and development. I also believe that people should know more about Romania’s rich culture, natural beauty, friendly citizens and standard of living.