What are the priorities in the development of Romania?

Our economy is very diverse. We focus on developing some fields that align with our strengths such as petrol, gas, and petrochemistry. The Romanian government continues to pay more attention to agrarian development. Before we only concentrated on key areas, such as industries. But we have recently found this approach to be imbalanced.

What measures have been taken by Romania to cushion the negative impact of the global financial crisis?

The crisis has taken its toll on many economies, and Romania, an European Union member, is no exception. However, we have ridden out the recession, and I do believe that our country will restore economic growth in several months.

What are your remarks on the Romania-Vietnam ties over the past 60 years?

Our ties of cooperation with Vietnam are very important, first within the framework of the community of French-speaking countries. At the 2006 summit of the Francophonie organization in Bucharest, we proposed a new initiative granting scholarships for young people in the organization, which encourages Vietnamese postgraduates to take courses in Romania.

Last year, the two countries’ trade turnover hit more than US$70 million. Vietnam and Romania have been implementing many effective projects in various fields. The Vietnam-Romania Committee for Economics, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation has recently concluded a session, which is expected to further boost bilateral cooperation in economics and trade. Both countries are considering big projects to be implemented very soon. Vietnam and Romania have also seen fine developments in their political relations.