Romania–Serbia relations

Romanian–Serbian relations are foreign relations between Romania and Serbia. Both countries established diplomatic relations on April 19, 1841.

Romanian-Serbian relations
Map indicating locations of Romania and Serbia

Romania
Serbia

History

Although Serbia unofficially opened a kind of diplomatic agency in Bucharest in March 1836,[1] officially, the first Serbian diplomatic agency in Bucharest was established in February 1863, with Kosta Magazinović, as its first diplomatic agent. Reciprocally the first Romanian diplomatic agency in Belgrade was established on 12/24 March 1863 and the first diplomatic agent was Teodor Calimachi.[2]

In 1879, as a consequence of the independent state status, the diplomatic agencies from Belgrade and Bucharest became legations and the diplomatic agents, resident ministers. Thus on 14/26 April 1879 the Romanian diplomatic agency in Belgrade became legation, having Lascăr Catargiu as its first resident minister.[3] In the summer of 1879 Milan A. Petronijević became Serbia's first resident minister in Romania.[4] Later, after Romania and Serbia became kingdoms, in 1881 and 1882, their diplomatic representatives became "extraordinary envoy and plenipotentiary ministers". It was only in 1939 when the legations from Belgrade and Bucharest became embassies.

However, a gradual cut-off of international relations between Romania and Serbia (in that time Yugoslavia) happened in May 1941, after Romania recognized the independence of the German-controlled Independent State of Croatia, due to Romania being an Axis power at the time.

Nowadays, symbolizing the good relations between Romania and Serbia, there is in the former a sentence that says "Romania only has two friends: the Black Sea and Serbia".[5] However, this phrase and the state of the relations between both has been disturbed by the Romanians in the Timok Valley in Serbia, where they are known in Serbian as "Vlachs", claiming a separate ethnic identity from the Romanians.[6]

Embassies
Embassy of Serbia in Bucharest, in the Emanoil Tătărăscu and Enescu House, designed by Ion Giurgea, built in 1936.[7]

Romania has an embassy in Belgrade and a consulate-general in Vršac. Serbia has an embassy in Bucharest and a consulate-general in Timișoara.

Common memberships

Both countries are full members of the South-East European Cooperation Process, of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, of the Central European Initiative, of the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative and of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, but, while Romania is a member state of the European Union, Serbia is not. Romania supports Serbia's bid to the European Union.

Both countries are strongly against 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, with Romania strongly supporting Serbia's territorial integrity.

Serbs of Romania
Main article: Serbs of Romania

The Serbs of Romania are a recognized ethnic minority. According to the 2011 census, there were 18,076 Serbs in Romania (~0.1%). Serbs mostly live in western Romania, in the Romanian part of the Banat region, where they constitute an absolute majority in two communes and a relative majority in one other.

Romanians of Serbia
Main articles: Romanians of Serbia and Romanian language in Serbia

The Romanians of Serbia are a recognized ethnic minority. According to the 2022 census, there were 23,044 Romanians in Serbia (~0.3%), while 21,013 people declared themselves "Vlachs". There are differing views among some of the "Vlachs" over whether or not they should be regarded as Romanians or as members of a distinctive nationality. Romanians and "Vlachs" mostly live in northeastern Serbia, in the Timok Valley and in the Serbian part of the Banat region to be exact, where they constitute a minority in two municipalities and in Vojvodina. Romanians of the Timok Valley have no schools where to practice their maternal language.

Diplomacy

See also

References
  1. Reprezentanțele diplomatice ale României, vol. I, 1859–1917, București, 1967, pp. 130–134.
  2. G.G. Florescu, "Agențiile diplomatice de la București și Belgrad (1863–1866)", în Romanoslavica XI/1965, pp. 126–131.
  3. A. A. Căpușan, Diplomați români de elită, vol. II, ediția a II-a, București, 2009, p. 13.
  4. Bogdan Catana, Relații diplomatice româno-sârbe, 1880–1913, Craiova, 2009, p. 74.
  5. Bărbulescu, Ovidiu (31 May 2015). "Premierul sârb, întrevedere cu Victor Ponta: România are Serbia și Marea Neagră drept prieteni. Serbia nu are mare, o are doar pe România". Mediafax (in Romanian).
  6. Cupcea, Radu (22 June 2021). "Ferește-mă, Doamne, de prieteni! Dezinformarea anti-românească capătă proporții naționale în Serbia". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  7. Ghigeanu, Mădălin (2022). Curentul Mediteraneean în arhitectura interbelică. Vremea. p. 69. ISBN 978-606-081-135-0.

Further reading
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