The Royal House of Romania organized the celebration of the centennial of the French Institute in Romania

  The French Institute in Romania is a cultural space to which two Latin nations from the far corners of the European continent have contributed, and Romanians must be grateful to France for the history of the last two centuries, Prince Radu declared on Thursday. He spoke at an event organized by the Royal House of Romania, on the occasion of the celebration of the centennial of the French Institute in Romania."Perhaps the most important page in our history, the modern and contemporary history of the country, was written alongside France, a country to which we must be grateful for these last two centuries that Romanians have written in all areas of life," said Prince Radu.In this regard, he mentioned the fact that people of culture, politicians, and specialists completed their studies in France. Furthermore, the representative of the Royal House said that throughout the reign of King Carol I, the institutions of the Romanian state were inspired by the French model."The Romanian army reformed itself not only with the logistical help of equipment, with the school and art of arms from France, but also with the structure of military institutions, and this was naturally transmitted to the second royal reign of Romania, that of King Ferdinand I. The entire Romanian course in the First World War and what happened in the country after that was done in close connection with France," he pointed out.Prince Radu recalled the visit of the Custodian of the Crown, Margareta, to Paris in 2019, to "follow in the footsteps" of her great-grandmother, Queen Maria.In this context, he evoked France's "institutional memory". "People from all fields, from politics to economics, science or art, keep in their minds and in the institutional memory the indelible link between Romania and France", added Prince Radu.He recalled that King Ferdinand I participated in the inauguration of the French Institute in Bucharest, "another centenary institution of today's Europe, to which two Latin nations, geographically located at the ends of the continent, contributed".Thus, Prince Radu appreciated that the French Institute is the result of a "visionary" gesture by the leaders of the two countries 100 years ago.The French Ambassador in Bucharest, Nicolas Warnery, stated that the French Institute is at the heart of the bilateral relationship. The diplomat added that Queen Maria was the first to write her name in the Book of Honor of the French Institute. He emphasized the importance of this cultural space, especially during the communist period in Romania."During the time of dictatorship and darkness, the French Library, as it was known at that time, tried to be, beyond its walls, more than a simple library, a space of freedom and, perhaps, of hope," Warnery stated.The Ambassador added that the French Institute is more than a place of learning, it is a place where "ideas confront and enrich each other", it is a space of dialogue, reflection, debate, cooperation, "which nourishes our understanding of the world, the understanding of our fellow beings and ourselves".  (Photo:https://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/seara-regala-dedicata-centenarului-institutului-francez/)