Interviu în revista ”Beyond Borders”: “Romania’s Diplomatic Constellations & the Role of the Diaspora: 10 Years of Global Diaspora Diplomacy”

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Sandra Pralong

În toamna anului 2024, Sandra Pralong, Consilier de Stat în cadrul Departamentului pentru Relatia cu Romanii din Afara Granitelor, a oferit un interviu revistei ”Beyond Borders” (Fall 2024), cu titlul “Romania’s Diplomatic Constellations & the Role of the Diaspora: 10 Years of Global Diaspora Diplomacy”.

”1. Being a State Adviser to the President of Romania for Relations with Romanians Abroad is a huge responsibility and an amazing opportunity for a Political Scholar and a Master of Political Philosophy but also a seasoned Diplomat, like yourself. What were the life milestones that brought you to this position? Would you say diplomacy turned out to be your vocation and maybe your legacy?

Academic diplomas and experience in international organizations matter, of course, but I believe the most important factor in my being selected for this position was that I have lived for so long in the Diaspora, in Switzerland, the US and France mostly, which means that I know firsthand many of the needs of those living abroad.

Add to this that I had already volunteered in a similar position in a previous administration, as a Personal Advisor to President Constantinescu, where I helped re-establish ties between those who had formerly fled in Exile and the (new) Romanian state, post-1989.

Helping others live better lives, wherever they are — whether in Romania or abroad— is, I believe, the most fulfilling way to pay forward for the privilege of occupying a position from which one can make a difference.

2. What do you consider to have been your greatest achievements over the past 10 years?

I have learned early on in my extended career that achievements are never individual; they always include the support of other people, whether team members or outside partners, and, in my case, many volunteers.

In the Cabinet of President Iohannis, together with my colleague Denise Mihalache, we have worked feverishly on many issues, chief among which, in the President’s first term, was to help families with children, whose parents had left to work abroad, get sufficient attention from authorities at the local level and from central state institutions.

We mobilized an inter-institutional Working Group of over 70 people from various ministries and state agencies, civil society, and international organizations, seeking to find solutions to overcome administrative barriers, fund projects to support kids left behind locally with school work, to connect with parents, to integrate into the community, to provide other assistance, etc. Together with devoted partners in Civil Society, Save the Children-Romania among them, we even succeeded in mobilizing over 30 million Euros in European Funds to finance grassroots-projects catering to the needs of families with kids left behind.

More recently, in the President’s second term, among other issues, we turned our attention to those Romanians wishing to return and bring their experiences and expertise back into the country. Thus, we worked with our governmental partners at the Department for Romanians Worldwide, mobilizing again a large Working Group of state institutions, businesses, academia and civil society, recruitment agencies, etc., to provide those wishing to return with work opportunities and an extensive Guide, full of practical, valuable information about the various procedures to re-establish residence; repatriate belongings; access education, health and social services; and other useful administrative ways to overcome bureaucratic barriers and settle back smoothly into a new life back home.

I believe that the biggest challenge in a position like this is to succeed in “managing through influence” because, at the Presidency, we have practically no executive power or funds to address issues directly, head-on. Almost everything we do depends on the cooperation and goodwill of other institutions, which need to be shown common interest and purpose.

3. States around the world are increasingly acknowledging the role of diasporas as actors in international relations, policy implementation and relationship-building. In your experience of working with the Romanian diaspora, how has this role evolved and do you think it is evolving differently around the globe?

In Romania, we had to switch gears in the State’s approach regarding those who left the country after 1990 by a full 180 degrees. It used to be that the Romanian state considered the Diaspora to be a net loss, except for the welcome remittances sent back into the country.

In the two terms of President Iohannis, we managed to turn that perspective around by recognizing the hidden wealth that the Diaspora represents in terms of human capital, skills, experience, and expertise, but also due to the constructive attitudes they generally have towards the delivery of public goods and services. People who live in functional, consolidated democracies, governed by the rule of law and with low corruption, have expectations of the levels of public service that gently nudge Romanian public servants to rise to other standards.

Civic organizations such as Repatriot have managed to mobilize the business community in both the country and abroad to seize the wealth of opportunities that the Romanian market offers, thus creating a very fruitful synergy between the private and the public approaches to the Romanian Diaspora.

4. You have travelled extensively and had the opportunity to connect with the brightest minds and hear the most amazing stories. What other Diasporas should Romanians abroad look to as role models and what teachings can we find from them? How can we help build a strong Romanian brand that everything and everyone Romanian can benefit from, wherever they are?

A strong country brand is created by a confluence of factors, actors, brands, strategic projects, institutions and initiatives that all converge towards a ”unique selling proposition” (as we say in marketing) about the benefits of investing in, traveling to, or simply considering the country as a partner in various domains. Whether in diplomacy, the economy, business, tourism, arts, culture, or sports, whether state-driven or people-to-people, we need a coherent self-image to project abroad, but also internally, in a credible, convincing and suitable narrative.

To my mind, we are truly a land of miracles, one that Pope John Paul II called “The Garden of the Virgin Mary” and the King of England considers “an enchanted land.” By the way, speaking of King Charles, with 56 countries to choose from within the Commonwealth, isn’t it odd that he would lavish such praise on (and make real-estate investments in) a country that is not even his own?

I believe there is something magical about our ability to connect both East and West, deep within unspoiled nature and up into the clear sky, with such a peculiar balance between expediency and thoroughness, and a unique brand of authentic faith and genuine spirituality.

I think it is Churchill who spoke about “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” and I believe this applies to Romania as well, because there is this uncanny ability that we Romanians have to turn misfortune into opportunity and succeed against all odds, even in the most dire of circumstances, as witnessed in our long history.

Increasingly, it seems that people, the world over, cherish fantasy and imagination, resourcefulness, of which we have plenty, and I believe that our creative potential, the fruitfulness both of our minds and of our soil, the beauty both of our landscapes and of our souls, are what makes us rather unique. This is what we should articulate and capture in a short and powerful statement, which positions us against – in fact not “against”, but alongside – references such as German precision, French elegance, British poise, Swiss parsimony, Italian taste, American ingenuity, etc. I believe that Romanian creativity sits quite well alongside these markers.

5. You are also a successful, published author. Ten years ago, you published How to Change Mindsets: 25 Years in Romania (Polirom, 2014). Do you see a need for change in how we approach mindsets today? What is the one mindset of Romanians abroad that you feel could be a game-changer if successfully disrupted?

Returning to the theme of the Diaspora, I believe that Romanians returning from abroad are an extraordinary asset to the country, whether they come back short term, on vacation, or long term, to settle back or to invest.

The Diaspora brings a different, can-do attitude, a certain sense of fearlessness, and an expectation that things in Romania should work at the same standards of functionality, if not excellence, to which they are already accustomed. This heightens the stakes for us all because we have to offer goods as well as services, and even public policies, to match those heightened expectations.

To my mind, whenever the returnees or the Romanians living abroad (who still care about their country) truly and loudly speak their mind, whether at the voting booth or in everyday life, this represents a real game-changer for this country – the more the merrier, and the more impactful the change they catalyse. Hopefully for the better.

6. What keeps a Presidential Adviser for the Diaspora awake at night and how has that changed over the past 10 years?

Ten years ago, the first time I went on an official working visit to meet with the Romanian community in Madrid, while waiting to board the plane, when I saw so many people going to Spain for work, I nearly burst into tears. I realized that their hard-earned money was indirectly also paying for my salary, and I felt a great sense of responsibility to do everything in my power not to let them down and to endeavour to help State institutions meet their needs wherever they are, whether abroad or back in the country.

I am very mindful not to let that feeling of responsibility slip away, for one can easily become jaded from being in a position where everyone seems keen to flatter your vanity. I, for one, take the idea of ”public service” very seriously and quite literally. I feel such pride in being a public ”servant” that I don’t want to take anything for granted or consider anything as being ‘owed’ to me in any way. In effect, I seek to earn respect for what I do, and not for the position that I am in right now, which, incidentally, will end very, very soon*…

*As political appointees, Advisers’ terms end together with those of the President.

Interviul este disponibil la acest link: https://beyondbordersmag.com/fall-24/romanias-diplomatic-constellations-the-role-of-the-diaspora-10-years-of-global-diaspora-diplomacy/