AGERPRES special correspondent to New York Florin Stefan reports: President Nicusor Dan met on Monday evening with several dozen members of the Romanian community in New York, telling them that he would like to make use of their professional experience in a way that would benefit both the United States and Romania.

The President on Monday evening inaugurated the Regina Maria of Romania intersection, marking 100 years since the Romanian sovereign's historic tour of the United States. A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the intersection of 38th Street and 3rd Avenue, near the headquarters of Romania's Permanent Mission to the UN.

The President subsequently addressed members of the Romanian community in New York, thanking them for preserving their Romanian identity and maintaining their ties with the country.

'Because you are people who have achieved success in a society that is much more competitive than ours, the question is how we can make use of your experience, how we can work together to do good both here and in Romania. This is, I believe, a question that the Romanian state has been asking itself for a long time: how to work better with various structures, both private and otherwise. Perhaps you can teach us a thing or two in this respect as well,' Nicusor Dan told the several dozen Romanians who had come to meet him and have photographs taken with the head of state.

He noted that Romania had made significant progress in recent years, particularly since joining the EU two decades ago.

'Let us look at the huge potential Romania has, both through the skills of its people and its highly dynamic private sector, as well as the reasonable level of its education system, at least in a few important areas. I would say that Romanian society has accumulated a certain level of expertise in many fields, and I would like the coming years to be about consolidating and stabilising this expertise, so that it becomes a self-assured society,' Nicusor Dan said.

Former gymnast Teodora Ungureanu, who lives in the United States, was among the Romanians who attended the meeting with President Nicusor Dan and his partner, Mirabela Gradinaru.

'I was very honoured to be invited here for this event. It is the first time I have met the President. I am glad that I met many Romanians who were very enthusiastic to meet me,' Teodora Ungureanu said.

'I was very moved that, after so many years, this plaque was unveiled in New York. She loved the streets of New York,' said Queen Maria's grandson, , who attended the unveiling ceremony at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and 38th Street. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Florin Stefan; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)