What does the Treaty of “friendship” between Romania and Russia entail. Explanation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the agreement not yet abrogated

Few remember that more than two decades ago, Romania signed and ratified the Treaty “on friendly and cooperative relations” with the Russian Federation, which has not been abrogated until now. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) presented for Newspapers.com the point of view on this subject “buried” for a long time.

Two years have passed since the outbreak of the war in eastern Ukraine, when Russian troops entered the neighboring territory. Thus, the Russian Federation violated the norms of international law, with the argument that it is actually waging a war against the West and the “Nazi regime” in Kiev. For two years, Romania has positioned itself pro-Ukraine: it offers humanitarian, financial and military aid to its northern neighbors. However, the “friendship” treaty with Russia was not formally terminated, despite the antagonistic statements from Bucharest and Moscow.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke for Newspapers.com about this obsolete but not repealed bilateral agreement.

“The treaty on friendly and good-neighborly relations between Romania and the Russian Federation, agreed in 2002 following a laborious negotiation process, is a document that provides a framework for cooperation between the two states, in multiple fields. Considering the current situation, this de facto agreement does not produce effects”, the MAE said.

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the fact that, although the agreement “on friendly and cooperative relations” with Russia has not been abrogated, Romania takes a firm position against the aggression in Ukraine.

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“Romania reacted immediately and firmly to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the response measures including the drastic limitation of the interaction with the Russian side, in a bilateral and multilateral framework. Romania, together with the partner states, aims to change the current behavior of the Russian Federation and stop the violations of international law, first of all by ending the aggression and the immediate and complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine”, the MFA also stated, for Newspapers.com.

The political scientist Andrei Țăranu also commented on this topic.

“Probably they considered the treaty obsolete with our integration into NATO, so nobody thought about it anymore, that’s my guess. As for the relations between Romania and Russia, they are completely frozen, even though the Russians have sent a new ambassador to Bucharest”, commented Andrei Țăranu, for Newspapers.com.

What does the “friendship” treaty between Romania and the Russian Federation entail

During the mandate of President Ion Iliescu, the document on Romania’s relationship with Russia was negotiated, signed and adopted. According to the “Treaty of July 4, 2003 on friendly and cooperative relations between Romania and the Russian Federation”, the two states agreed on “a fruitful collaboration”, “based on equality, partnership, trust and mutual advantage in all fields”.

Among other things, the two states agreed: “expanding economic relations based on equality, partnership and mutual advantage”, “encouraging direct links and cooperation between economic agents in Romania and the Russian Federation”, “reaffirming the inalienable right of peoples to decide, freely and without outside interference, the political status, to choose the means of ensuring their own security and to ensure their economic, social and cultural development”, “reaffirming the inadmissibility of the use of force or the threat of force against the integrity territorial or political independence of any state or in any other way incompatible with the purposes and principles of the UN” etc.

SEE HERE the content of the treaty.

Cristian Diaconescu, former Foreign Minister, spoke in an interview about the role of the treaty between Romania – an official NATO member state since 2004 – and Russia.

“The North Atlantic Alliance, at that time, wanted to have at least a stable neighborhood or, in any case, legal leverage so that in case of conflict there would still be some legal instruments that could be the subject of negotiations (…)

It says something very interesting in the treaty and, of course, it is bilateral, but, nevertheless, it is an agreement between the Russian Federation and a NATO member state, ratified and extended the term of application of this treaty by the State Duma including in 2013. In that treaty says this: both sides, first of all, respect their sovereign right to choose their security arrangements.

It was an absolutely necessary change. In 1991, a negotiation had taken place that resulted in a document in which the parties were obliged to consult each other before joining one security alliance or another. So, the free decision, as is normal, sovereign, of the states from this point of view”, Cristian Diaconescu transmitted, at the end of 2022, for Gândul.

What is happening on the front in Ukraine

The government in Bucharest continues to support Kyiv. Meanwhile, Moscow-led troops have been stationed in what are considered “pro-Russian” territories in Ukraine for about a year and a half. Vladimir Putin announced the fulfillment of the military objectives only a few months after the invasion that began in February 2022. Thus, in September 2022, the referendum for the annexation of the territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation took place: Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye.

Even the Western press claims that the Russian army is consolidating its occupied territories, and the Ukrainian army, supported by the West with mercenaries, weapons and ammunition, is no longer able to cope in the fight to recover the territories.