The annual meeting of the Congress of Romanian Americans (CORA) was held in Washington, DC on the weekend of October 14-16, 2004.

The first official meeting was held at the White House in the beautiful and ornate "Indian Treaty" room. Addressing the meeting participants was Ambassador Daniel Fried, Special Assistant to the President and Sr. Director for Europe and Eurasia for the White House in the National Security Council. Damon Wilson, Director in the NSC also addressed the group. Remarks were "off the record", but suggested that US-Romanian relations are on a "positive track". A tour of the White House followed the meeting.

The remaining meetings were held at a hotel in nearby Virginia. Speakers included Vlad Spânu, Exec. Dir., The Moldova Foundation; Mark Meyer, Esq., Chairman, Romanian American Chamber of Commerce; Janusz Bugajski, Director for Central, Eastern and Northern European Affairs for the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Dr. Kent Hill, Deputy Director for Europe and Eurasia, USAID.

In the evening, a dinner at the Embassy of Romania treated CORA meeting participants to a delicious variety of Romanian food. Mihnea Moţoc, Romanian Ambassador to the United Nations, was the dinner speaker.

On Saturday, a number of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) involved in humanitarian work in Romania provided an overview of their programs’ goals and activities. These organizations included: Adoptive Families of Romania, Arapamesu, Bridge of Love, Carabella Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Joint Council on International Children’s Services, Reach to Romania, Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, Opportunity Associates and Uniting Families Foundation.

A panel of individuals, representing American families who have adopted approximately 7,500 Romanian children, was joined by a representative of the Romanian government to discuss the new Romanian International Adoption Law. Discussion centered on the 294 children in the pipeline for adoption by US families who have been denied the opportunity under this law. A second panel, representing successful businesses in Romania presented in-depth, concrete advice to those considering business projects in Romania. It was perhaps, the most positive panel ever offered in the business arena at a CORA conference.

Dr. Lee Edwards, Chairman of the Victims of Communism Foundation addressed the meeting at lunch. He spoke about the progress of the Victims of Communism Memorial and "virtual museum".

CORA’s business meeting was the last scheduled event of the conference.

CORA would like to thank some of those who participated in the conference and kindly shared their thoughts and feelings:

I found the CORA annual meeting very informative. The topics discussed were relevant to Romania’s current realities; the speakers were well informed and willing to address questions raised by the audience…I feel that CORA meetings serve as a great catalyst in bringing Romanian Americans together. I see CORA’s efforts as an important step toward making Romania more visible in the United States.
Raluca Ivănescu, Philadelphia, PA

I had a great time at the CORA meetings and the social events surrounding them. I particularly enjoyed the unique opportunity to get to know many interesting people, Romanians from other parts of North America as well as Americans with various interests in our country of origin, its culture and its people. I also learned a lot about many recent social, cultural and economic developments in Romania and the great challenges Romania faces on its way towards integration in the European community. I would like to thank the organizers for putting on a wonderful program.
Gabriel Dumitrescu, Corporate Attorney (Powell,Goldstein LLP) – Atlanta, GA

As in the past, the CORA meeting served a very important liaison function: by bringing interested Romanian Americans to the White House, presenting them to members of the National Security Council and other important members of the US government, and there allowing for an open exchange of ideas …. followed by discussions with representatives from the Romanian government …
Svetlana Schreiber, Immigration Attorney - Cleveland, OH

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting members of the Romanian community in America. I am very impressed with CORA’s work and its connections in helping promote relations between our two countries. Romania has found its way into my heart and mind in the past four years through its children. I continue to hope and have faith that I will also become Romanian by adoption.
Irene Costello, Bridge of Love (American NGO), NY

The CORA meeting was, as last year, one of the informative and thought-provoking weekends of the year. The speakers were varied, and most, very prominent. My knowledge of Romania, its progress and challenges, has grown immensely.
Christina Goldstone, (American NGO) - Charlottsville, VA

Great food, fun and fellowship... great conference.
Christina Regule, Alexandria, VA

It was a great experience and I truly believe that this is just the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between CORA, its members and me, a representative of the Romanian young generation...
Nicoleta Mihalache, Geo. Washington Univ. Law student from Romania

The CORA speakers provided those in attendance with a primary source of information and with a good overview of the various problems and conditions in Romania that we don’t get by receiving information from secondary media sources.
The Honorable John J. Regule, (Judge) - Pittsburg, PA

The meeting was … a great learning opportunity for U.S. businesses and individuals interested in investing or expanding their activities in Romania. The guest speakers from the NSC, CSIS and USAID emphasized that, while Romania still has many challenges ahead, it is on the right path for joining the community of developed nations.
Luana Banu, Visiting Scholar from Romania - Eli Lilly and Co.

I am very impressed and touched by CORA’s commitment towards the Romanian-American community and the issues that are of concern to us. And, I greatly appreciate its attempt to create some bridges among the various non-profits that work in Romania – it is a great initiative and I hope it will be very successful.
Ioana Mateşan, Arapamescu (NGO) - Phoenix, AZ and Sibiu, Romania

The CORA annual meeting was very educational for me... (it) has added another dimension to our understanding of the Romanian experience and how to operate in the Romanian environment as an American company.
Suzanne Duvall, The Washington Group International, Seatle, WA

I had a wonderful time and was pleased to meet so many people with hearts as large as CORA’s.
Lynn Wetterberg, Uniting Families Foundation (NGO) - Chicago, IL

Întâlnirea CORA din 15-16 octombrie 2004 a demonstrat încă odată faptul că ea a devenit o tradiţie apreciată de americanii de origine română. Printre participanţii la recenta întâlnire anuală s-au numărat purtători de cuvânt ai unor organizaţii non-guvernamentale care activează în România, oameni de afaceri, şi reprezentanţi de frunte ai vieţii culturale, precum scriitorul Radu Florescu. Majoritatea delegaţilor locuiesc în zona metropolitană a Washingtonului sau, au venit la conferinţă, din statele New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia şi Florida.

Prezentările făcute de reprezentanţii unor instituţii şi agenţii federale ale Statelor Unite şi de reprezentanţi ai NGO, de investitori, şi de proprietarii unor firme de afaceri cu baza de acţiune în România sau în Statele Unite au generat dezbateri antrenante, reflectând interesul şi preocupările reale ale celor prezenţi la sesiunile CORA faţă de stadiul actual şi viitorul relaţiilor bilaterale americano-române în diverse sfere de activitate.

Datorită spiritului său de dedicaţie, putere de convingere, muncă asiduă şi perseverenţă -şi, nu mai puţin important- prin contactele sale personale şi stima de care se bucură în rândul reprezentanţilor unor foruri de conducere americane, preşedintelui CORA îi revine meritul de a fi reuşit să formeze un nucleu omogen, reflectând o comuniune de idei şi interese, care anticipează viitoarele întâlniri ale organizaţiei, pentru informare adecvată, la ordinea zilei, şi dialog serios, bazat pe analize şi discuţii constructive.

The fourth edition of the Romanian American Yellow Pages is free, except for a shipping and handling charge of $2.50. This last edition has 468 pages, social and cultural content, an illustrated almanac of Romania (in color and black and white) and a chapter on business opportunities in Romania. There are over 6000 listings of government and private institutions and businesses in Romania and America in this last edition. The Pages were published by the Center Focus Publishing, a department of Romanian American Network, publisher Steven Bonică. To order your copy please contact:

Center Focus Publishing
7847 North Caldwell Avenue
Niles, IL 60714
Tel: (847) 663-0950
Fax: (847) 663-0960
E-mail: publisher@ameritech.net
Web: www.ro-am.net.

J.D. Crouch, II went to Romania in July as Ambassador. Michael Guest completed his three year tour of duty and was decorated by the President of Romania on June 23rd at the Cotroceni Palace. He was awarded the "Order for Special Service in Rank of Grand Cross."

Ambassador Crouch is a "political appointee", selected by President Bush. CORA representatives met privately with the Ambassador and discussed about political corruption, U.S. investment, adoption and other interests important to Romanian-Americans and the U.S.

During his Senate Confirmation Hearing on April 22, 2004, Senator Joseph Biden asked several questions of Ambassador-candidate Crouch. Questions touched on the Ambassador’s feelings about the importance of the role of government in the lives of Americans, his involvement in the formulation of Iraq policy and his involvement in the Defense Department’s controversial Office of Special Plans.

A reception, honoring Ambassador Crouch, was hosted by Romanian Ambassador, Sorin Ducaru. He was introduced by Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and described in very favorable terms. Among the attendees were Ambassadors Funderburk, Moses and Rosapepe.

150 Members of Congress Sign Letter to President Bush urging robust increases in foreign assistance for the next fiscal year. Less than 1% of the U.S. budget is spent on foreign aid. This 1% includes support of U.S. Embassies.