Rome, November 18 – (Adnkronos) – “Today, in this moment of formation of the Italophony community, we come together as natural partners of a common cultural path: a path that goes back centuries, to the roots of our Latin heritage. We do not just celebrate the vitality and spread of the Italian language across continents: we promote a dynamic cultural space, which unites citizens, universities, artists, entrepreneurs and political decision makers in the same spirit of dialogue and creativity.” So said Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu, in her speech at the first conference on speaking Italian.
The Minister then underlined the principles contained in the declaration on the creation of an Italian-speaking community: “Promoting language as a vector of culture and solidarity, defending human dignity, the belief that cultural dialogue strengthens peace and democracy are also the guiding principles of Romanian diplomacy and our vision for a connected, inclusive and future-oriented Europe. Italian language and culture have always held a special place in Romania, from the nineteenth-century scholars who came to train in Rome, to the many generations of students and artists who today still draw inspiration from Italian creativity.”
Our two peoples – continued Toiu – have long been united by friendship, cooperation and deep interpersonal ties: more than a million Romanians live and work in Italy, while Italian is taught and widely spoken in Romania. A clear signal of the strong closeness between our peoples. In the same spirit, together with our Italian friends, we are preparing an ambitious cultural diplomacy program in 2026 that will bring together various art forms and will increase multidisciplinarity and intercultural dialogue.”
“In this conference, a new space of collaboration was born, a space that connects Europe, the Mediterranean and the wider world is a space where linguistic heritage meets contemporary creativity and where friendship between nations is translated into shared strength. At a time when our world too often seems divided, Italophony offers a different message: a message of unity, through culture, strength through beauty, peace through understanding. Romania – concluded the minister – is ready to work side by side with members of this community in the belief that Italophony can become an authentic laboratory of cultural diplomacy, and a model of how linguistic proximity can foster peace, cooperation, and sustainable development”.
