Nicușor Dan backs Dacian Cioloș for Francophonie chief at Phnom Penh summit

Romania's bid for the Francophonie post

On Sunday, 15 November, Romanian President Nicușor Dan attended the 20th Sommet de la Francophonie in Phnom Penh, where he said he was there to support the candidacy of Dacian Cioloș for secretary general of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie for 2027-2030. Dan said King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia received him at the start of the summit. Cioloș, a former European commissioner and former prime minister, was announced as Romania's candidate on Monday, 9 November. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has switched sides, first backing Juliana Amato Lumumba before withdrawing from the race and throwing its support behind Cioloș. Voting is set for Monday, 16 November, in Cambodia, with three candidates remaining: Cioloș, Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda and Coumba Ba of Mauritania.

In a Facebook post, Dan argued that Cioloș's project would let Romania strengthen its influence in the Francophone space and secure benefits across several areas of interest. He called a candidacy for the top post in an international organisation a gain for the country, one that profiles Romania as a nation ready to take on larger contributions to large international projects.

“Dacian Cioloș proposes a credible and ambitious vision for relaunching and developing the Francophone community.”

Talks with UNESCO on its 70th anniversary in Romania

Dan also met Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO's director-general, in Phnom Penh, a meeting held as Romania marks 70 years since it joined the organisation. In his Facebook post he said he had restated Romania's support for UNESCO's work and for peace built through cooperation between states. On science, he said Romania backs UNESCO's role in research capacity and access to knowledge, and that the conversation covered support for early-career researchers.

“We reiterated our engagement in global scientific cooperation and support for UNESCO's role in promoting scientific excellence, capacity building and access to knowledge, especially for young researchers.”

Dan singled out the International Centre for Advanced Training and Research in Physics (CIFRA) in Măgurele, which operates under UNESCO auspices. He said he was interested in strengthening its scientific activities and international cooperation within UNESCO networks.

Vietnam and bilateral ties

Dan also met Vietnamese President To Lam on the sidelines of the summit. Dan said the number of scholarships for Vietnamese postgraduate students and researchers in Romania will keep rising in the coming years, and he promised to actively promote cooperation in fields where both countries have strengths and considerable potential. The two presidents agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support in international forums and on foreign-policy files of common interest. To Lam said bilateral trade reached 557 million dollars in 2025 and proposed broader cooperation in sustainable agriculture, electronics, digitalisation, tourism, cybersecurity, culture and education. He also said Vietnam has consistently valued its friendship with Romania, one of the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

Candidate background and what comes next

Cioloș is an agricultural engineer who became known when he was named agriculture minister in the Tăriceanu government in October 2007. He was born on 27 July 1969 in Zalău. In November 2009, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso nominated him as commissioner for agriculture, and the European Parliament gave its investiture vote for the new commission in February 2010. The Francophonie vote on Monday, 16 November, will decide whether Cioloș, Mushikiwabo or Coumba Ba takes the post for 2027-2030.