Relations between Moldova and Romania - a subject to political developments, report
The new dynamics of the Moldovan-Romanian relations found its expression in numerous mutual visits at the highest level, signing several bilateral agreements and opening consulates. The statement was made in an exhaustive report issued by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” assessing the relations between the countries.
The publication begins with the context of the relations establishment.
“During the Soviet times, the «barbed wire» between the USSR and Romania turned the Prut into a real «iron curtain» within the communist camp; the population communication on both banks of the river being maximally restricted,” writes the author of the report, referring to the period when Moldova was part of the Soviet Union.
After the Republic of Moldova gained its independence from the USSR in 1991, Romania was the first country to recognize the statehood of Moldova. After establishing their diplomatic relations, Transnistria popped up as their first challenge.
“The Transnistrian conflict was the first challenge for the Moldovan-Romanian relations. The support provided by Romania to the Republic of Moldova during the war on the Dniester River, a more moral one at the diplomatic level, was perceived in a contradictory way in Chisinau. Since 1992 it has become evident that the political elites in Chisinau and Bucharest have different opinions on the Moldovan-Romanian relations,” the report shows.
According to it, the Romanian leadership didn’t have a frank and clear policy regarding the issue while “Chisinau repeatedly suspected the neighboring state of territorial revisionism.”
Ion Tabarta, the author of the publication characterizes the period after 2001 when communist Vladimir Voronin took the power as “the Cold War period.”
“Vladimir Voronin's refusal to sign the Kozak memorandum in November 2003 changed radically the external vector of the Republic of Moldova - from east to west. In this context, the communist government in Chisinau had also to review its policy towards Romania, which was about to become an EU member. In addition, the geopolitical context in the region (the «color revolutions» in Georgia and Ukraine) predisposed the Republic of Moldova to an orientation towards the West,” Mr. Tabarta wrote.
The relations strengthened after Romania massively offered Romanian citizenships to the citizens of Moldova and signing the Convention on Small-Scale Border Traffic at the Moldovan-Romanian border.
“The new dynamics of the Moldovan-Romanian relations found its expression in numerous mutual visits at the highest level, signing several bilateral agreements and opening consulates,” concludes the report.
A joint meeting of the governments of the Republic of Moldova and Romania organized on March 3 is part of the dynamics of Moldovan-Romanian relations after 2009.
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