Romanians know the value of freedom and the costs of communism, the US Ambassador to Romania, Darryl Nirenberg declared on Wednesday at the reception organized for the US Independence Day.

'In Romania, our founders' message and their legacy has a special meaning. Romanians know the value of freedom and the costs of communism. You know that freedom is not automatic. That is must be renewed, passed on and defended. And our nation is proud to do that in partnership with you,' the diplomat said.

He emphasized that the event pays tribute to the US and the country's founding fathers.

'America is not exceptional because it is perfect. We are not. America is exceptional because it was founded on an exceptional idea: that freedom belongs to every person, that government serves the people, and that rights are protected by law, not given by government,' Darryl Nirenberg said.

The diplomat also told a personal story.

'About 140 years after the Declaration, my grandfather left Eastern Europe for America. I think of him passing the Statue of Liberty, both anxious and excited. As he looked upon his new land, there is no way he could have ever imagined that one day his grandson would return to the region he had just left as a US ambassador. But he may not have been surprised. He told us time and again that in America anything was possible,' Nirenberg said.

The ambassador noted that over the past century, America has used its strength not only to defend itself, but also to help others - rebuilding countries that were once enemies, after World War II, and supporting the nations of Eastern Europe in their struggle to free themselves from communism, and that is also the legacy of the founding fathers.

'Our partnership is based on shared values, rooted in Western civilization, but which resonate far beyond the West: faith, family, personal responsibility and the conviction that nations are strongest when their people are free,' the diplomat emphasized. AGERPRES(RO - writing by: Oana Ghita; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)