Romania Courts New Friends in Africa After ‘Strategic Error’ of Neglecting Relationships

President Klaus Iohannis says he has used his 10-day visit to Africa—the first by a Romanian leader in 30 years—to put the former communist state “back on the African radar.” Mr. Iohannis’s Nov.14 to Nov. 23 tour of Africa—which took him to Kenya, Tanzania, Cape Verde, and Senegal—was shrouded in controversy back home as critics questioned the very high travel costs and its economic benefits for Romania. But he pushed back, insisting it was a “strategic error” neglecting the relationship with Africa over the years. The Romanian leader acknowledged that it’s been decades since his country first understood the “special value” of its economic ties with African states....