The anniversary opens a new chapter of structured, future-oriented cooperation between the two countries.
From ancient trade routes to contemporary diplomatic dialogues, the collaboration between Egypt and Romania has evolved significantly.
Highlighting the importance of shared interests and values in fostering long-lasting bonds, Toderean noted that Romania and Egypt are entering a phase of cooperation that is more structured, diversified, and forward-looking than ever before—built on trust, people-to-people ties, and a shared belief in culture, education, and dialogue as engines of progress.
Ambassador Toderean outlined plans to commemorate the 120th anniversary, particularly through Romania’s role as the Guest of Honor at the Cairo International Book Fair 2026. She emphasized the importance of such cultural platforms in enhancing people-to-people diplomacy and fostering deeper understanding between the two nations, and shared her vision for a future marked by strengthened ties across sectors, including education, trade, and security.
Ahram Online (AO): 2026 marks the 120th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and Egypt. Looking back, what is the secret to the endurance of this partnership, and how do you plan to launch the official celebrations?
Olivia Toderean (OT): The endurance of the Romanian–Egyptian partnership lies in its human depth, historical foundations, and permanent adaptability from both of our countries. While our formal diplomatic relations date back 120 years, interaction between our societies spans more than 2,000 years, through trade, pilgrimage, what we would call today labour mobility (ancient people from Alexandria moved to Black Sea shores in the 1st century B.C.), intellectual curiosity, and cultural exchange.
What sustained this relationship is not only diplomacy in the narrow sense, although that always played a key role, but mutual respect, interest in each other’s cultures, and trust. This has always been combined with the ability to evolve together, to stay close to each other through the ups and downs of history. Romania and Egypt have always found ways to remain relevant to one another across changing geopolitical eras.
As for the 120th anniversary, we have deliberately chosen substance over formalism. The celebrations will begin in January with Romania as the Guest of Honor at the Cairo International Book Fair 2026, a unique cultural platform in the region. In the press conference announcing the 57th edition of CIBF, I said: “Just like for trade and connectivity between three continents, you use the Suez Canal; similarly, to access cultural life in this part of the world—to enter the hearts and minds of Egyptians and many Arabs—you access the Cairo Book Fair.”
AO: How do you view the bilateral political and diplomatic relations between Egypt and Romania? What are the primary strategic files on the agenda?
OT: I would characterize the current political dialogue as being in a very favorable stage, defined by high-level commitment, continuity, pragmatism, and mutual respect. Over the past 18 months alone, multiple high-level exchanges have taken place, including meetings between our foreign ministers and the signing of a Memorandum on Military Cooperation between our defense ministries.
Our bilateral agenda today is broad and forward-looking: regional stability, energy security, food security and agricultural exchanges, defense cooperation, education and research, digital transformation, and new partnerships moving up the value chain.
I can say with confidence that there is a substantial common interest in taking this relationship to the next level, also taking advantage of the symbolic milestone of 120 years of diplomatic relations. The mutual appreciation, alignment on regional files, and the intensity of cooperation are all present.
AO: Both Romania and Egypt occupy strategic positions—one in the Black Sea region and the other at the heart of the Middle East. How are our two countries coordinating to address humanitarian and security challenges?
OT: Romania and Egypt coordinate closely through bilateral dialogue, the European Union (EU)–Egypt strategic partnership, and Romania’s engagement in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)–Egypt dialogue. From our ambassadors in key multilateral formats, I know we maintain close contact in the United Nations (UN) in New York, Geneva, and Paris/the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). These instances of concrete bilateral work consolidate the regular high-level political dialogue we maintain, where crises and peace perspectives—both in our region and in Egypt’s—are top of the agenda.
The Summit of Peace in Sharm El-Sheikh brought hope and a pathway to peace. We support progress toward peace in your region with all our diplomatic means. We regularly perform medical evacuation operations from Gaza, particularly for child patients and their families. We also hope for a lasting and just pathway to peace in Romania’s neighborhood. Both Romania and Egypt share a strong commitment to stability through diplomacy, dialogue, negotiation, facilitation, and respect for international law, with the UN Charter at its core. These values guarantee strong bilateral bonds, particularly in a fast-evolving and turbulent global environment.
Romania highly values Egypt’s role as a pillar of regional stability and a skilled diplomatic actor in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa. Our exchanges reflect the understanding that security and humanitarian challenges require coordination across interconnected regions.
AO: Reflecting on the past year, what would you name as the single most significant achievement between Romania and Egypt in 2025?
OT: If I had to single out one achievement, it would be the qualitative evolution of our bilateral relationship—from cooperation based primarily on political dialogue and trade toward implementation, joint projects, and institutionalized cooperation.
This trend has been developing for a few years, but it is now more visible in energy cooperation, defense dialogue, cultural diplomacy, and academic exchanges, culminating in Romania’s designation as Guest of Honor at the Cairo International Book Fair. It signals that our friendship is entering a new, more mature phase.
AO: You have recently stated that bilateral trade should be targeting a $2 billion milestone. Which sectors showed the most surprising growth in the last 12 months?
OT: Bilateral trade has remained stable around USD 1.3 billion, but my goal, together with the economic attaché, is to align the factors that would push it to $2 billion in the medium run, by 2030, for example. For now, what stands out is not the volume but the transformation behind the figures.
Energy-related projects, mutual investments, joint ventures, industrial cooperation, and imports from Egypt to Romania—now exceeding $500 million—have shown particularly dynamic growth. The trend is clear: we are moving away from simple commodity exchange toward complex partnerships, joint ventures, and local value creation.
AO: Romania is the Guest of Honor at the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair. What is the central theme of the Romanian pavilion, and which figures can the public expect? Beyond literature, what interactive activities will Romania bring to Cairo during the fair? How does this cultural recognition serve the broader goal of people-to-people diplomacy?
OT: Romania’s participation as Guest of Honor at the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair is structured around the central theme “Books for Friends: from the Danube to the Nile.” Books for Friends is Romania’s motto when participating in book fairs worldwide. For Cairo, we elaborated a motto specific to this unique fair.
More than a slogan, this frames the entire Romanian program at CIBF as a cultural journey, inviting friends to share our creativity, literature, and art shaped by our geography, history, and memory.
Reading books translated into one’s own language is among the most durable forms of friendship between societies, capable of carrying ideas, emotions, and values across languages and generations. Within the broader context of 120 years of diplomatic relations, our stand in Hall 3 B 32 becomes both a space of celebration and a platform for reflection on continuity, exchange, and renewal.
Some statistics: 30 events in 13 days; 60 special guests from Romania—including 15 artists, 10 publishers, 4 presidents or vice-presidents of top universities, and 3 high dignitaries: the minister of Culture, a vice minister for cultural diplomacy from the MFA, and the director of Romania’s Cultural Institute.
The Romanian pavilion is conceived as an open cultural space rather than a conventional exhibition space. It brings together literature, translation, academic inquiry, heritage studies, visual culture, and performing arts in a coherent narrative. Visitors will encounter established literary voices alongside emerging authors, while translators and scholars explain how texts travel, transform, and gain new meanings when crossing linguistic and cultural borders. A strong emphasis is placed on Romanian works available in Arabic, including new world-premiere translations for CIBF, and publishing initiatives aimed at Egyptian readers.
Literature is placed in dialogue with other disciplines. Discussions explore intersections between fiction and archaeology, poetry and contemporary social realities, memory and modern identity, as well as the role of universal values today. The program also provides space to reflect on how cultural diplomacy has shaped bilateral relations over time and can continue to do so through concrete, people-centered projects.
Beyond the written word, Romania’s presence is participatory. Photographic exhibitions reveal landscapes, traditions, and everyday life through shared visual languages. Music and traditional dance performances activate public spaces, inviting spontaneous encounters between artists and audiences.
A substantial part of the program is dedicated to professional dialogue. Encounters between publishers, translators, academics, and cultural managers focus on building sustainable cooperation mechanisms, encouraging direct partnerships, and supporting the long-term circulation of books, ideas, and expertise between Romania and Egypt. Education and research are also central themes, with discussions on academic cooperation, language studies, and joint initiatives connecting universities and research institutions in both countries.
Children and families occupy a privileged place within the Romanian Guest of Honor concept. Through bilingual readings, storytelling sessions, creative workshops, and interactive activities, literature is presented as a shared experience. This investment in younger audiences reflects a long-term vision of cultural diplomacy: nurturing curiosity, empathy, and openness from an early age, ensuring cultural dialogue between our countries continues naturally into the future.
Ultimately, this multifaceted presence serves a clear people-to-people diplomacy objective. By encouraging direct interaction between writers and readers, artists and audiences, students and scholars, and professionals and institutions, the Book Fair becomes a space where diplomacy is practiced through human connection. Romania’s Guest of Honor program strengthens mutual understanding, reinforces trust, and lays the groundwork for durable partnerships extending well beyond the fair itself. From the Danube to the Nile, culture becomes both a shared language and a shared responsibility—connecting societies not only through history, but through a common vision for the future.
AO: Romania has long been a favorite destination for Egyptian students. Are there plans to expand scholarships or institutional cooperation?
OT: Absolutely. Education and research are priority pillars of our future cooperation, particularly now that Egypt participates in EU Horizon-related frameworks.
We aim to expand scholarships, student mobility, joint research, and academic partnerships. Romania’s academic tradition and Egypt’s young, dynamic population are a natural match.
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