Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu Association and Emblematic Romania Association launched today the book “Energy Diplomacy”, in memory of the renowned Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu, a supporter of the diversification of Romania’s energy supply sources.
Coordinated by Elena Ratcu, the volume “Energy Diplomacy” is the first in the trilogy “Mihnea Constantinescu – Emblematic Romania”, organized on the three major areas to which the former ambassador had important contributions: energy diplomacy, Holocaust memory and diplomacy.
Luminiţa Odobescu, Presidential Adviser and former Romanian Ambassador to the EU, said at the book launch event that the lesson learned from Mihnea Constantinescu was that we need to work with young people and share our experience so that they can be carried on.
“Mihnea Constantinescu has raised generations of diplomats. I received the first advice from him. Together we went through many crisis situations, he had his calm style of approaching things, elegance and irony, the ability to gather us together and find solutions. He was always one step ahead, making us think in the medium and long term. I kept all the messages from him. In difficult moments, his advice was extremely useful because he had that calm,” said Luminița Odobescu, according to financialintelligence.ro.
Elena Popescu, general director of the Ministry of Energy, also said: “Mihnea Constantinescu had an energetic vision. I could have dialogue and understanding with him. We were told from the market: “We are tired of your speech with the diversification of the energy mix, that’s all you know.” Here it is now proven that Mihnea was right – diversification of routes, sources, interconnections, reduction of dependence on Russia, a vision that proved to be very good.”
Elena Popescu also said that there is a lack of a specialist like Mihnea Constantinescu in the state institutions: “Unfortunately, Mihnea can no longer be replaced, because a person is needed to send very clear messages with political connotations, and with strategic vision. It’s hard to have a person who can convey the message so well.”
Mihnea Constantinescu was a senior Romanian official and diplomat. According to the biography on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Constantinescu graduated from the Faculty of Energy of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, obtaining the title of Doctor at the same University. His involvement in public administration began immediately after the 1989 Revolution, when he gained important positions in the government.
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he took over the first leadership position in 1996, becoming Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He has contributed substantially to the successes of Romanian diplomacy, from the positions of Director General for Political Affairs, Coordinating Secretary of State, Chief of Staff of several Romanian Prime Ministers, State Councilor, Ambassador and Representative with Special Assignments for Energy Security.
For his special merits, he was promoted by the President of Romania, in 2002, to the highest diplomatic rank, that of Ambassador, according to Agerpres. Mihnea Constantinescu died in 2018, at the age of 56.