U.S. Visa Waiver for Romanians: An Interview with Ambassador James Rosapepe

Ambassador James Rosapepe

James Carew Rosapepe was born on May 20, 1951, in Rome, Italy. He is the son of two freelance journalists. He grew up in New York before moving to the Washington area in the late 1960s. Rosapepe attended Yale University as an undergraduate student.

TO GET WHERE HE'S GOING, DIPLOMACY DID WONDERS

He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates (1987–1997). Then he was appointed as Ambassador to Romania during the Bill Clinton administration and ended his mandate during the George W. Bush administration (1998–2001). An internal State Department report was strongly critical of Rosapepe’s leadership and management during his ambassadorial service, while crediting him with several accomplishments.

A scorching report card for our Romanian envoy; Rosapepe supporters dismiss the criticism of former…

Upon his recall from Romania, Rosapepe was appointed to serve on the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland. He left the board to run against incumbent Senator John Gianetti in District 21, whom he defeated in the 2006 election for Maryland State Senator in District 21. He was unopposed in the 2010 and 2014 elections. Maryland State Senator Rosapepe (2007 — to present) currently sits on the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee and serves as a Deputy Majority Whip.

I have known Ambassador Rosapepe since the summer of 1999, during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC, when the festival hosted programs on New Hampshire, Romania, and South Africa.

I also remember the fact that, during Ambassador Rosapepe’s mandate in Bucharest, I started to receive at home the U.S. Embassy in Romania informative bulletins, the first initiative of its kind to connect people on the embassy mailing list.

During the period of October 3 and 4, 2019, James Rosapepe attended, as a Board Chair, the annual ALIANŢA/The Alliance Gala, in Washington, DC, at the Conrad Hotel and the Romanian Embassy, respectively.

Alianta - Strengthening the Romanian American Alliance

On October 4, 2019, the Alianţa organization announced the launching of a new initiative, The Visa Waiver for Romanians, in order to support efforts in the U.S. Congress to end discrimination in the U.S. Visa system against Romanian citizens. Currently, Romania is one of only four European Union countries which are not part of the U.S. Visa Waiver program, which allows EU citizens to visit the U.S. without a visa.

With that occasion, Ambassador James Rosapepe granted me an exclusive interview.

1. Mr. Ambassador James Rosapepe, Romania is one of the only four EU members currently excluded from the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Can you tell us more about the advocacy campaign to allow Romanians to visit the United States without visas?

Yes, well, the Alianţa [organization] is launching a campaign today [October 4, 2019] to work with the Romanian Embassy, but also work with other communities that are excluded from the Visa Waiver, like the Bulgarians, and the Croatians and others, to get Romania in the Visa Waiver [Program]. It’s very important for American families, it’s very important for American businesses.

2. Yes, thank you so much. In your opinion, what do Romania and Romanians have to do to make this U.S. Visa Waiver Program an achievable objective?

I think Romania has worked very hard to do that, in terms of strengthening its borders, improving security, working very closely as an ally of the United States. So, I think, Romania is doing its part. I think the Romanian-American community and American businesses active in Romania, and other Americans who care about the [U.S.] Partnership [with Romania] need to be active and knowledgeable in talking with the members of Congress, and encouraging the President and Congress to bring Romania into Visa Waiver.

3. Thank you so much. And the last question: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has met twice with the American President, Donald Trump, first in June 2017, then in August 2019, and every time the U.S. Visa Waiver has been a topic of discussion. How do you think this issue will be eventually resolved?

I am not sure. We just gotta keep working on it.

4. Thank you so much, Mr. Ambassador.

Thank you. Thanks a lot.

(October 17, 2019)

NOTE — Versions of the article were published in:

AMERICAN THINKER (El Cerrito/San Francisco, California) [+ comments]

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and

CARIBBEAN NEWS GLOBAL (Brooklyn/New York City, New York) [+ views, comments]

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and

CARIBBEAN NEWS NOW! (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas) [ comments]

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and

CONSERVATIVE READ (Scottsdale/Phoenix, Arizona) [ comments]

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and

INTELLECTUAL CONSERVATIVE (Phoenix, Arizona) [ comments]

U.S. Visa Waiver for Romanians, We Just Have to Keep Working on It: An Interview with Ambassador…

and

MARIANAS VARIETY (Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands) [ comments]

Right Direction | US visa waiver for Romanians: We just have to keep working on it - an interview…

and

MEDIUM (San Francisco, California) [100+ views; comments; 100+ likes]

U.S. Visa Waiver for Romanians: An Interview with Ambassador James Rosapepe

and

SAIPAN TRIBUNE (Garapan/Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands) [ comments]

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and featured in:

320ro.com (Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom) [ comments]

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and

ACCENT (Toronto, Canada) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

ACTIVE BOARD

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and

AFRO-CONSCIOUS MEDIA (Canada; Long Beach, California) [ comments]

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and

ALTERNATIVA/THE ALTERNATIVE (Toronto, Canada) (_________ 2018) [in Romanian] [NOTE = scroll down on the journal’s home page to get the article and then press OPEN on the article]

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and

ARMONIA/THE HARMONY (Hickory/Charlotte, North Carolina) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and also

ARMONIA MAGAZINE/THE HARMONY MAGAZINE (Hickory/Charlotte, North Carolina) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

BLUNT FORCE TRUTH (Detroit, Michigan) [ comments]

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and

BURNING PLATFORM [ comments]

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and

CARIBBEAN POST (Santiago, Dominican Republic) [ comments]

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and

CLICK ROMANIA (London, United Kingdom) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

CURENTUL/THE CURRENT (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

CURENTUL INTERNAŢIONAL/THE INTERNATIONAL CURRENT (Sterling Heights/Detroit, Michigan) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

FIWEH (Okinawa, Japan) [ comments]

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and

FREE REPUBLIC (Fresno, California) [ comments]

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and

GÂNDACUL DE COLORADO/THE COLORADO BEETLE (Estes Park/Denver, Colorado) [in Romanian] [ + views; comments]

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and

GOP BRIEFING ROOM [ + views; comments]

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and

INVESTORS HUB (London, United Kingdom) [ comments]

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and

JURNAL DE CHIŞINĂU/CHIŞINĂU JOURNAL (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

LUCIANNE.COM (Cliffside Park, New Jersey) [ + comments]

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and

LUMEA ROMÂNEASCĂ/THE ROMANIAN WORLD (Grand Rapids, Michigan) [in Romanian]

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and

MENAFN (Amman, Jordan)

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and

MERIDIANUL ROMÂNESC/THE ROMANIAN MERIDIAN (Santa Clarita/Los Angeles, California) [in Romanian]

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and

MEXICAN OCCUPATION

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and

MIORIŢA USA (Sacramento, California) [in Romanian]

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and also

MIORIŢA USA (Sacramento, California), printed edition [in Romanian]

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and

MOLDOVA9/NEW MOLDOVA (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

MOLDOVA ŞTIRI/MOLDOVA NEWS (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] (300+ views; comments]

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and

MORNING IN ARIZONA [ comments]

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and

NAŢIUNEA/THE NATION (Bucharest, Romania) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

NEW YORK MAGAZIN/NEW YORK MAGAZINE (New York City, New York) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

OBSERVATORUL/THE OBSERVER (Toronto, Canada) [in Romanian]

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and

OCCIDENTUL ROMÂNESC/ROMANIAN WEST (Madrid, Spain)

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and

OFICIAL/OFFICIAL (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

PARADIGMS AND DEMOGRAPHICS (Cleveland, Ohio) [ comments]

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and

PROTECTORS OF LIBERTY (Mount Pleasant, Michigan) [ comments]

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and

QOSHE (Netherlands & Turkey)

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and

QWIKET (Kingston, New York) [ comments]

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and

ROMANIA JOURNAL (Bucharest, Romania) [ + views; comments]

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and

ROMANIAN TIMES (Portland, Oregon) [in Romanian]

Programul de scutire de vize americane pentru români: Interviu cu ambasadorul James Rosapepe - Un…

and also

ROMANIAN TIMES (Portland, Oregon) (print edition, pp. and ) [in Romanian]

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and

SAVE AMERICA FOUNDATION (Clearwater, Florida)

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and

TAPATALK (Santa Monica/Los Angeles, California) [ comments]

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and

TIMP ROMÂNESC/ROMANIAN TIME (Bucharest, Romania) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

TRIBUNA/THE TRIBUNE (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [ comments]

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and also

TRIBUNA/THE TRIBUNE (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

TRIBUNA ROMÂNEASCĂ/ROMANIAN TRIBUNE (Chicago, Illinois) [in Romanian] [ comments]

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and

TRULY TIMES [ + views, comments]

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and

TRUMP’S MINUTEMEN (Fort Worth, Texas)

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and

UNIMEDIA (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ + views, comments]

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and

US POLITICS 10z [ comments]

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and

ZIARUL DE GARDĂ/THE GUARD NEWSPAPER (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian]

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and referenced in:

CENTRUL DE PRESĂ — PRESSPEDIA/THE PRESS CENTER — PRESSPEDIA (Bucharest, Romania) [in Romanian] [+ views]

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and

CURENTUL INTERNAŢIONAL/INTERNATIONAL CURRENT — FACEBOOK (Sterling Heights/Detroit, Michigan) [in Romanian]

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and

HUMAN RIGHTS QUARTERLY (Cincinnati, Ohio)

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and

LIBERAL FORUM

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and

MUCK RACK (New York, New York)

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and

OBAMA LIES

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and

PRESS RUSH (Turku, Finland)

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and

THY BLACK MAN [ comments]

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and

ZENITH NEWS (Duluth, Minnesota)

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NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS = 3

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