Romania forges links with Tassie

TASMANIA’S newest BFF is Romania, with Ambassador Nineta Barbulescu on a ground-breaking diplomatic mission to the state.

“I am the first Romanian ambassador to be visiting Tasmania, hoping to grow bilateral relations,” Ms Barbulescu said in Hobart yesterday.

There were opportunities for co-operation in the areas of information technology and Antarctic research, she said.

The only “cultural adjustment” she and her family had to make in Australia related to slow internet speed.

“Because the internet is not yet perceived as a utility in Australia,” Ms Barbulescu said.

Romania had the world’s fourth fastest internet speed, she said.

But she said common ground existed in the arts, including the Tyler collection of Romanian art held at the University of Tasmania.

Although only 46 Tasmanians speak Romanian at home, according to the latest Census , part of the ambassador’s mission was to connect with Romania’s diaspora.

While in Hobart, Ms Barbulescu has met Governor Kate Warner, city officials and local MPs and visited UTAS, TMAG, and tourist sites.