The ambassador of Romania in Italy, Gabriela Dancau, inaugurated in Palermo the Honorary Consulate and awarded the honorary consul in Gaspare Borsellino, journalist, founder of the Italpress press agency. “There are cities that occupy a particular place in the memory of a people, even when they are located beyond borders,” said the ambassador. “For the Romanians, Palermo is one of these. Its history, deeply European, also preserves a significant page of our journey towards freedom and national unity. It is with this awareness, and with sincere closeness to Sicily, that I return to Palermo to officially inaugurate the Honorary Consulate of Romania and appoint the honorary consul to Gaspare Borsellino, authoritative journalist and entrepreneur, founder of the news agency Italpress”.
“The opening of this new consular representation is a further step forward in strengthening the Romanian institutional presence in Italy and responds to the desire to give our Consolidated Strategic Partnership an ever more concrete and rooted dimension in the territories,” he added. «Palermo and Sicily are for Romania leading interlocutors»
The inauguration of the new consular seat was the occasion for Ambassador Dancau to recall the figure of Nicolae Balcescu, historian, political thinker and protagonist of the revolution of 1848, one of the most important figures of the Romanian Risorgimento, who died in exile in 1852 in Palermo.
«To be called to represent Romania in this city means to receive a trust that honors me and to which I want to respond with the work – said the new consul Gaspare Borsellino -. The relationship between Romania and Sicily already lives in our cities. He lives in workplaces, schools, friendships and families that join our countries. Whoever has rooted here, keeping a deep bond with Romania, knows better than anyone else the value of this relationship and can help us grow it”.
«From Sicilian, I feel close to the experience of those who leave their country and learn to live between two belongings. Our history of migration helps us to understand how much respect and the possibility of feeling part of the community in which we live. It is with this sensitivity that I wish to carry out my task,” he added.
The initiative was attended by the undersecretary of Culture Giampiero Cannella, the president of the Renato Schifani Region, the mayor Roberto Lagalla, the President of the Municipal Council Giulio Tantillo and the representatives of the consular body. “With Romania there is a very strong relationship that arises not only from the common linguistic origins, but also from cultural links – said Cinnamon -. The opening of this consulate adds an important piece with a country that is linked to us by many traditions that sink their roots in the night of time”.
“In Palermo live 5,000 Romanians, there is an intense trade exchange, which works, and therefore we must work so that Sicily can interface with the various countries of the East – said Schifani -. The GDP of Sicily grows and the increase of these exchanges does nothing but increase exports: this is the policy that we are trying to adopt to improve the situation I have found”.
“Well the Romanian government and the embassy in Rome have made this new presence – the words of Lagalla –. Our relations with the Republic of Romania already exist and are consolidated also through a twinning that unites Palermo to Timisoara. I believe that also the recognized ability of the new honorary console in Palermo will certainly produce further fruits in a direction that we have already started”.
L’articolo Gaspare Borsellino becomes honorary console of Romania proviene da IlNewyorkese.
