US Ambassador Zuckerman: Romania needs visionary leaders, such as President Iohannis and Acting PM Orban

US Ambassador in Bucharest Adrian Zuckerman said on Friday at the Ford plant in southern Craiova that Romania has made important steps and has the potential to become a regional leader, but to harness that potential, it still needs work and visionary leaders, such as President Iohannis and Acting Prime Minister Orban.

It is a pleasure to be here, with you, to highlight the success of a remarkable American company and its impact in Romania. I think the Ford story is a great example of what can happen if the United States and Romania work together. Ford invested over 1.5 billion US dollars in what was an outdated and under-performing car factory. Today, this plant provides very good jobs for over 6,300 hard-working Romanians, these exceptional workers, who should be very proud of their skills. Ford is just one of many success stories throughout Romania. Investors hire and train workers, cooperating with the Government to develop a more economically secure Romania, not just for the educated elite, but for all workers. Romania has taken important steps and has the potential to become a regional leader. But in order to capitalize on that potential, there is still work to be done. It will take visionary leaders such as President Iohannis and Acting Prime Minister Orban to overcome the challenges to follow and lead this country towards a modern revival of Romania, a revival not only of the economy, but of all facets of Romanian life, Adrian Zuckerman said in the speech delivered at the Ford plant in Craiova on Friday, where Prime Minister Ludovic Orban was also present alongside a government delegation.

The US ambassador also stated that Romania has a rich history in culture, science, innovation and many other fields, and today it is "on the brink of greatness", stressing that the Romanian people have no better friend than the United States who is committed to continuing the collaboration so that "all Romanians have a prosperous and secure future".

From the music of George Enescu, to Mircea Topoleanu and Radu Ciorniciuc, who, just a few weeks ago, won the Special Jury Award for Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, from Henri Coanda, one of the first innovators of airplanes, to the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI-NP) research infrastructure, Romania has obtained many achievements in many fields, and today it is on the brink of greatness. I want you to know that I share this vision and I will do my best to work together with Romania and its people, to help it become the country that it can and should be. I want to thank you once again, the workers, for the excellent products you make here and to remind everyone that the Romanian people have no better friend than the United States. On behalf of President Trump and the American people, we are committed to continuing to work together so that all Romanians have a prosperous and secure future, said Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman.