Romania’s Ministry of Education and Research, alongside three Romanian universities, will offer 11 scholarships to Vincentian students for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The government of Romania made the announcement following a meeting between that country’s prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves last week.
The Romanian government said in a press release that the two prime ministers agreed on the need to intensify efforts to develop economic cooperation and trade exchanges.
“Prime Minister Gonsalves expressed gratitude for Romania’s official development assistance to Caribbean countries, as well as for the support provided within the European Union on issues of regional interest,” a press release said.
Ciolacu met with Gonsalves, who was on his first official visit to Romania since the establishment of Romanian-Vincentian bilateral relations in 2003.
It was the first bilateral visit of a high-ranking Caribbean official since 1990.
The two prime ministers attended the signing ceremony of some memoranda of understanding on bilateral cooperation in agriculture, education, health, disaster risk management, and international humanitarian assistance.
During the meeting, Ciolacu expressed Romania’s long-term interest and commitment to the Caribbean region and its willingness to remain a friend of this region within the European Union and an active promoter of the EU-Caribbean Partnership.
The two leaders also discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral relations.
“They welcomed the dynamic political and diplomatic dialogue in recent years and stressed the significant potential to diversify sectoral cooperation in areas of shared interest, such as agriculture, food security, health, and emergency management,” the press release said.
“The two high-ranking officials also exchanged views and assessments regarding the situation stemming from the geographical positioning of the two countries, focusing on Black Sea security, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and peace efforts, as well as the recent regional developments in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
“During the discussions, it was agreed to enhance cooperation within the EU-Caribbean Partnership and the dialogue between the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The Prime Ministers voiced confidence in the success of the upcoming CELAC-EU Summit, scheduled for November 2025 in Colombia, following the 2023 Summit held during Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ pro-tempore Presidency of CELAC.”
Ralph Gonsalves is selling out the Caribbean just to stay in power. He has nothing new to bring. He wants to see us in poverty and begging. How can you make a deal with Europeans or Americans. You are a sell out Ralph Gonsalves.
Who pays the piper calls the song and who begs will forever be subservient. It’s a natural phenomenon.