Romania's Ambassador to U.S. to officially represent Romania at Trump inauguration ceremony

Romania's Ambassador to the U.S. Andrei Muraru informed on Thursday that, in his capacity as ambassador, he will participate and officially represent Romania at the inauguration ceremony of the new U.S. president, Donald Trump, which will take place on Monday, January 20."The only official invitations, extended on behalf of the President-elect Donald J. Trump, were sent by the Inaugural Committee through the Protocol of the U.S. Department of State, exclusively to heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Washington," said Andrei Muraru in a statement sent to the media regarding the ceremony's program, referring to speculations about official invitations being sent to people from Romania to attend events in the program of the new U.S. president's inauguration.According to the statement provided by Andrei Muraru, these invitations ensure the participation of ambassadors accredited to Washington in the following events: the MAGA Victory Rally, on the evening of Sunday, January 19, at the Capitol One Arena; the swearing-in ceremony of the new president and the inaugural speech, both at the Capitol on Monday, January 20; on the same day, the inaugural parade, at Blair House, the official guest house of U.S. presidents, and the Liberty Inaugural Ball at the Walter Washington Conference Center; and on Tuesday, January 21, the national prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington."It is a series of special events, and it is a great honor for me to represent Romania at this historic moment of American democracy," Muraru said.The Romanian ambassador explained that these official invitations provide access to specially designated areas at each of the events taking place on January 20, ensuring proper protocol and security conditions for dignitaries.Andrei Muraru further explained that, in addition to these official invitations, there are also "privately sent invitations or access tickets intended for the public, which, although they may bear the graphic symbols of the Inaugural Committee, ensure seats only at some of the events, usually in the general audience area."The Romanian diplomat added that the presence of high-ranking foreign officials at the inauguration ceremony is not excluded, but it is only possible under specific requests from them, with access and the level of courtesy granted being evaluated on a case-by-case basis (depending on available protection resources and protocol).Also, referring to Calin Georgescu, who ran in Romania's 2024 presidential elections and recently stated in the media that he was invited to attend Trump's inauguration but chose to decline the invitation, Andrei Muraru clarified that "Mr. Calin Georgescu was not invited to the inauguration ceremony, and his name is not among those officially invited by the Inaugural Committee and the U.S. Department of State."