President Iohannis decorates cultural personalities, says culture should give us reasons for optimism

President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday decorated Romanian cultural personalities at the National Culture Day event at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace. The Order For Merit in the rank of Knight was bestowed on art critic Irina Sanda Cajal-Marin and researcher Carol W. Konig an expert assessor of medieval weaponries. The Cultural Merit Order in the rank of High Officer was awarded to Balint Gyorgy Szabo, while a Cultural Merit Order in the rank of Knight went to Director General of the National Museum of Romanian Literature Ioan Cristescu, and to Director of the Museum of the Municipality of Bucharest, historian Adrian Majuru. The Cultural Merit Order in the rank of Knight went to Angelo Mitchievici, Enika (Nagy) Szenkovics, Razvan Constantin Caratanase, Constantin Catargiu, Constantin Ovidiu-Ionescu, Iosif Kiraly, Liviu Nedelcu, Atena - Elena Simionescu, Florin Stoiciu, Serban Dumitru and Marian Zidaru. Iohannis bestowed Cultural Merit Class III medals on Ion Cepoi, Vladimir Ciobanu, Adrian Lesenciuc, Liviu Stoicovici and Mihaita Topescu. At the same time, the Cultural Merit Order in the rank of Commander went to the Cluj Napoca National Theatre, the Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre of Iasi, the Moldova National Museum Complex of Iasi, the Museum of Bucovina and the National Museum of History of Transylvania in Cluj Napoca. In his speech, the president showed that the decorations represent the commendation of the Romanian state for the talent and effort of the personalities, and also a tribute to the Romanian culture. "In literature, in visual and performing arts, in heritage research and conservation, you are important exponents of a culture of dialogue between tradition and modernity. In your activity and the institutions you run, you enrich a culture of confluence spaces and creative interaction of identities. Romanian culture speaks in the most candid and eloquent way about who we are, where we come from and where we want to reach, and you have made important contributions to the mission," said Iohannis. The president mentioned that, on the anniversary of the Romanian culture he wants the Romanian culture "to enjoy valuable works in the future" that will make the Romanian society worthy and proud of its artists. "At a time marked by the pressure of globalisation, the proliferation of manipulations and the spread of attacks on the cohesion of communities, culture can - and should - give us reasons for optimism. As long as we value creation and respect creators, we will not lose our marks or identity and we will not waste our opportunities. Culture and education were among the priorities of the country dreamed of by the elites in 1848 and accomplished by the deeds of the unions of 1859 and 1918. Culture and education are conspicuous today among the strategic resources of a Romania that has regained its normalcy, first of all through recognising, honouring and harnessing its creative energies. The Day of the Romanian Poetry's Morning Star gives us solidarity around the works of Eminescu and urges us to find the always renewed sources of cohesion inside the society and among generations in the culture and in the values of humanism that has united Europe," said Iohannis. AGERPRES (RO - author: Irinela Visan, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)