To sum up, our gates are open to those of you seeking a career at home. And even if you do not intend to pursue a career in Romania, there are other ways of collaboration. For instance, the NBR has been supporting the Annual Scientific Conference of Romanian Academic Economists Abroad (ERMAS), in partnership with major Romanian universities. A recent personal experience, during a trip I took to Washington DC, confirmed the interest that many Romanian experts abroad share in staying in touch with their home country. There are more than 60 Romanian economists working for the World Bank, the IMF or the Fed. I have met around half of them and I saw how keen they were to learn not only about the Romanian economy, but also about changes in the society. Many were even eager to engage themselves in various cooperation projects with those working back home in their respective fields of activity. I truly found their enthusiasm and readiness refreshing! Although idealism is not a trait one would usually associate with people my age, I confess that whenever I am addressing Romanians who are studying or have studied in the West, I cannot help but make the parallel with the revolutionaries of 1848, who engineered the rapid transformation of the Romanian society and created the modern state almost from scratch.
In closing, I would like to wish all of you successful and fruitful discussions during this two-day conference. I hope that the speakers and participants will reflect upon what Thailand has done right and what we can do more for the Thai economy. In particular, I believe it is equally important for the private sector, as much as the public sector, to play the role in strengthening Thailand’s long-term economic fundamentals, especially the priority areas I mentioned. Having done some of the right things does not mean that we can be complacent, since the economic challenges will not get any easier in the current and future global environment. Thank you. 4  BIS Review 94/2010