Ambassador Ramis decorates seven cultural personalities for successful France-Romania Season

Seven cultural personalities were welcomed to the Order of Arts and Letters by Ambassador Michele Ramis for their "remarkable" contribution to the success of the France - Romania Season, according to a press statement of the French Embassy in Bucharest.

The ceremony took place on Wednesday at the French Residence. Receiving membership of the Order of Arts and Letters in the Chevalier grade were director of the Youth Theatre House of Piatra Neamt Gianina Carbunariu; Director of the Radu Stanca National Theatre House of Sibiu Constantin Chiriac; Director of the National Museum of Romanian Literature in Bucharest Ioan Cristescu; artistic director of the Art Encounters Foundation Diana Marincu; the editor-in-chief of "IDEA art + society" magazine Ciprian Muresan; Director General of the National History Museum of Romania Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu, and commissioner of the France - Romania Season, diplomat Andrei Tarnea.

Ambassador Ramis emphasised the contribution of each of the seven personalities to the success of the France-Romania Season, as well as the significance of this series of events as part of the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

"This is an exceptional award ceremony, which takes place in an equally exceptional context: almost a year ago, Presidents Macron and Iohannis solemnly opened the France - Romania Season in Paris, the first of its kind involving two European Union member states. Throughout this year, the French and Romanians have been able to discover and recreate this intimate connection that has strengthened our common history. I am pleased to present the Order of Arts and Letters to a number of personalities that the French Minister of Culture, Franck Riester, chose to honour for their contribution to this successful season," said Ramis.

The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is one of the four ministerial orders that were not abolished during the reorganisation of the French decorations decided by General de Gaulle in 1963. Chaired by the Minister of Culture, the Order of Arts and Letters "aims to reward the people who have distinguished themselves by their creations in the artistic or literary field or by their contribution to the brilliance of Arts and Letters in France and in the world." This order was granted to personalities such as Marcel Pagnol, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall and Eugen Ionescu, according to the embassy.