A photo-documentary exhibition "The Great Union: from the victory in the World War I to the coronation of the sovereigns of Great Romania" prepared by the Cotroceni National Museum (Bucharest, Romania) is taking place in different countries in the context of Romania’s Great Union Centenary 1918-2018. In Azerbaijan the exhibition is organized in collaboration by the Embassy of Romania and the Azerbaijan National Library named after M.F. Akhundov and is open to the public from 20 June to 10 July.
Director General of the Cotroceni National Museum, Liviu Sebastian Jicman, during his visit to Azerbaijan kindly agreed to give an exclusive interview to Eurasia Diary.
In his opinion, for Romanians, this historical moment, Romania’s Great Union Centenary, is an achievement that several generations dreamt of.
"It was possible through commitment, courage, wisdom and faith. It was a lesson of will and sacrifice for the unification of the entire Romanian society and its rulers from that time, even though the chances seemed weak," Liviu Jicman said.
He also mentioned that the most important accomplishment for the Romanian nation, after the completion of the Great Union, was to regain its freedom of expression and democratic life, while the greatest failure was exactly losing them in the first place.
"We are still in the process of learning to get them back," Jicman added.
Liviu Jicman came to Azerbaijan for the first time. Despite the fact that it was a short trip, he said that he had the chance to see some cultural institutions and meet an enthusiastic audience, which made him believe that the Cotroceni National Museum could present here other projects built upon impressive elements of the Romanian culture and history.
"We hope to have the opportunity to come back to Azerbaijan with new cultural initiatives in the years to come," he said.
Answering the question on the role of cultural diplomacy in development of the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Romania, Director General of the Cotroceni National Museum said confidently that culture should be seen as a bridge between nations, as it may be a tool for getting to know each other better, understanding each other’s problems and challenges and gaining each other’s trust.
He noticed that cultural diplomacy could be a key element in strenghtening the dialogue between nations; it could go further than classic diplomacy.
"I believe that, currently, our cultural and economic relations have a great potential to evolve. The development of the virtual and physical channels between Romania and Azerbaijan would be beneficial for both parties.
The pasts of our countries have some elements in common even though we are not always aware of. In the same time, both countries are situated at the borders or at the crossroad of civilisations. This common experience may be used in giving the partner country access to the respective markets," Liviu Jicman added.
"The exhibition shown in the National Library in Baku is itinerated during this entire year in Romania and abroad. Cotroceni National Museum is a destination for anyone who visits Bucharest, the capital of Romania, because it displays a significant piece of Romania’s history, right in the city center. Our intention in the near future is to be able to develop projects that could transcend the borders and reach foreign audiences," Liviu Jicman concluded.
Anastasia Lavrina
