NATO visit: Lauzen meets with Romanian president
Beacon-News Staff May 21, 2012 3:14PM
State Sen. Chris Lauzen of Aurora had a 30-minute private meeting with Romanian President Traian Basescu during his visit to Chicago for the NATO Summit.
Updated: July 2, 2012 8:34AM
State Sen. Chris Lauzen of Aurora and his wife Sarah had a 30-minute private meeting with Romanian President Traian Basescu during his visit to Chicago for the NATO Summit.
The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen their relationship and to discuss economic development opportunities that will create jobs in Kane County, Illinois and Romania, said Lauzen, whose four grandparents all emigrated from northwestern Romania to the United States in the early 1900s.
Lauzen said the economic development ideas included an export plan for Romania of higher value cuts of meat sold to the G-7 (i.e. Germany, France and other nations) using Illinois feed, agricultural equipment and market information technology; petroleum and natural gas exploration applications; environmentally friendly waste-to-energy innovations; and private funding of for-profit university education practices.
The Lauzens met with Basescu Sunday morning at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, where the Romanian delegation was staying.
Lauzen is very familiar with the home of his ancestors, having traveled three times to Bucharest, Brasov, Bran, Cluj, Timisoara, Arad, Satu Mare, and other towns and regions including the Carpathian Mountains in Romania.
“In the American Midwest and South Central Europe, we share the attributes of hard work, practical intelligence, love of family and country, and reverence for God,” Lauzen said.
In 2006, Basescu presented the “Star of Romania” to Lauzen in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The “Star of Romania” is the highest civilian recognition given to a citizen of another country.
On the economic front, Lauzen said the next step is organization of a trade mission from Illinois to Romania including Midwestern export powerhouses like Caterpillar, John Deere, Monsanto and others with commercial interests in agriculture, manufacturing, seed technology and education. These activities will be coordinated through Adrian Vierita, Romanian ambassador to the United States, within the next year, Lauzen said.
