A tolerant and open society is based not only on the development projects undertaken, but also on the ability to reject hate speech and to condemn firmly any instance of racism or xenophobia, President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday in a message to International Romani Day celebrated on April 8.

The message was delivered by Sergiu Nistor, presidential adviser on culture, religious denominations and national minorities, to a roundtable conference called "Romania, the common and indivisible homeland of all its citizens," organised by the parliamentary group of national minorities in the Chamber of Deputies.

"In this extremely complicated period we are going through, marked by the serious effects generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, appreciating everyone's contribution to the common good and social solidarity are the components that can help us overcome the difficulties we face. Given the circumstances, the celebrations of important events, such as the International Romani Day, are moments when we reaffirm what unites and enriches us spiritually, what inspires us and provides the energy and motivation to build our future together. A tolerant and open society is based not only the development projects it undertakes, but also on our ability to reject hate speech and to strongly condemn any instance of racism and xenophobia."

According to Iohannis, the government and citizens alike are under an obligation both to make the values of inclusion fruitful, and to promote and act in a spirit of respect for each other, to build a society in which every person, regardless of ethnicity, is accepted and treated with dignity. AGERPRES (RO - author: Catalina Matei, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Cristina Zaharia)