Prince and Princess of Asturias Welcomed by Romanian President

Prince Felipe (2nd,L) and Princess Letizia of Asturias (L) pose next to Romanian President Traian Basescu (3rd,L) and his wife Maria Basescu (R) at Cotroceni Palace, the Romanian Presidency headquarters, Bucharest on July 27, 2009. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images)

Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain are paying an official three day visit to Romania that began on Monday July 27. Immediately after their arrival in Romania yesterday, their Royal Highnesses went to Cotroceni Palace where they were received by President Basescu and his wife Maria Basescu.

Prince Felipe said he was glad to visit Romania and stressed that although a certain geographical distance separates Spain and Romania, the two states are close due to their cultural proximity.

The Prince of Asturias (Asturias is the area in Spain officially linked to the crown) is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Emil Boc and the Deputies’ Chamber Speaker Roberta Anastase on Tuesday.

The visit by Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe supports the trend that is occurring in Romania, a country which Spain considers a “strategic partner” in a Europe that is ever “more prosperous, fair, and mutually supportive.”

The prince made his remarks during an official dinner hosted by the Romanian President. Bucharest can learn from Spain’s experience with managing European Union funding extended to the bloc’s less affluent member-states, the prince said.

“The Spanish experience in managing and utilization of structural funds, as well as the large number of firms from our country with experience in that area, can be of great interest and usefulness to Romania,” said Felipe. He had emphasized the support from Spanish businesses investing in the Balkan nation despite the international economic crisis.

Around 80 Spanish business executives are accompanying the royal couple on the trip to Romania. The prince emphasized bilateral links and particularly made note of “the deep human and professional relationships that around a million Romanian residents in Spain have woven with Spaniards, fostering their integration into the society.

Romania was a constitutional monarchy for most of its existence between March 1881 and December 30, 1947. The Kingdom of Romania began with the reign of King Carol I of Romania who gained Romanian independence in the Romanian War of Independence, and ended with the abdication of King Michael I of Romania in 1947, imposed by the Soviet Union. In 1947 the monarchy was replaced by a communist regime.