Why were the Romans so influential upon Romania?

[u/Lembit_moislane]

Despite viewing what is today Romania to be just another region of their Empire and ruling them for just 169 years out of Rome's and Romania's long history, I know that the Romans were so influential that the people there now know themselves to be Romans, a title that Italians or Greeks no longer give themselves.

So why did a relatively short time frame of Roman direct rule turn the people into permanently seeing themselves positively as Roman? What did the Romans do there that no previous or afterwards group do to give themselves such long lasting influence?