caption id=attachment_21965 align=aligncenter width=436
Ambassador Hans George Klemm/caption
Hans George Klemm was born in 1957 in Dearborn Michigan. Coincidentally the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America has its headquarters in the same town. Klemm is a graduate of Indiana University (with a degree in economics and history) and Stanford University (with a masters degree in international development policy). He joined the United States Foreign Service in 1981 and was promoted into the Senior Foreign Service in 2001. Between 2007 and 2010 he served as the U.S. Ambassador to East Timor. In March 2015 Klemm was nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Romania and in September 2015 he assumed the duties of U.S. Ambassador to Romania in Bucharest.
I had the opportunity to meet the ambassador in the spring and summer of 2015 while he was attending the Romanian class at the Foreign Service Institute. Then he talked with me extensively about the influence of some Romanian cultural personalities in his training as a professional. Later I had the opportunity to meet the ambassador on November 16 2018 at the Romanian Embassy in Washington DC during a symposium-gala on issues of politics security management and culture of the
ALIANŢA (The Alliance - Friends of the Romanian-American Alliance) organization.
On that occasion I had a brief discussion-interview with the ambassador.
In 2018 Romania was to conclude the Centenary Year of the Great Union of 1918. I asked Mr. Klemm how he would characterize the Centenary Year for this country and its people. Mr. Klemm used the occasion to evoke a number of Romanian personalities who had a contribution in this regard but also to his training as a diplomat as cultural mentors. He also highlighted Elie Wiesel a native of Romania and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1986). Klemm mentioned that Romania has come a long way towards becoming a stable state. So when we think where we were a hundred of years ago in Romania a war-torn country and again it was able to come out of that violence and unify and become over time a powerful state" emphasized the ambassador.
Then I invited Mr. Klemm to briefly describe the Romanian-American relations during the Trump and Iohannis administrations. The ambassador said: Last year in 2017 President Iohannis visited Washington met with President Trump at the White House in June 2017 and had a very very comprehensive and productive meeting. And then I was I had the honor of being in the Rose Garden of the White House when they gave us the press conference. Important historical things were debated during the conference." The ambassador also mentioned that the two presidents Trump and Iohannis have made it very clear that they are engaged not only in the short and medium term but also in the long term in deepening their relations.
Finally I asked the ambassador to specify from his point of view the challenges that Romania will face in the near future. Klemm mentioned the impact of Brexit on Romania with unpredictable effects for many Romanians who are in the UK at work. Also another important challenge was represented by the migration of Romanians to the world. Klemm noted that there are almost six million Romanians outside the countrys borders which represents a huge potential for Romanias regeneration. He concluded by saying about the Romanian government that they ought to bring these people back to contribute to the development of the country."
I parted with Mr. Ambassador with the hope that there would be a new opportunity to have a more extended discussion on the important issues that mark the Romanian-American long-standing relations.
Meanwhile shortly after Romania successfully concluded the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July 2019 on August 20 2019 the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis had a second meeting at the White House with the U.S. President Donald Trump. The two presidents discussed pragmatically and openly the ways of deepening and expanding their Strategic Partnership (launched 22 years ago). For the first time a joint declaration was adopted on political-military and security cooperation as well as economic cooperation in the field of energy including nuclear energy. Also a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two governments regarding the 5G technology of the wireless communication networks and there were discussions about the admission of Romania in the Visa Waiver program.
The transatlantic relationship between the two countries remains stable and is vital for Western civilization and common values.
NOTE -A version of the article was published in MEDIUM.
TIBERIU DIANU has published several books and a host of articles in law politics and post-communist societies. He currently lives and works in Washington DC and can be followed on MEDIUM.
*****
=====
