Moldovan-Romanian relations
Encyclopedia
Moldova
and Romania
have experienced an extremely complicated relationship since Moldova's independence
in 1991. Pan-Romanianism has been a consistent part of Moldovan politics, and was adopted in the Popular Front of Moldova
's platform in 1992. Romania's relations with neighbour Moldova
have been strained since 1994. Most of Moldova was part of Romania during the interwar period and linguists generally agree that the Moldovan language
is identical to Romanian
. Early signs that Romania and Moldova might unite after both countries achieved emancipation from communist rule quickly faded. Romania remains interested in Moldovan affairs but the two countries have been unable even to reach agreement on a basic bilateral treaty
.
and Danube
. This external border of the European Union
runs from Criva
in the North to Giurgiuleşti
in South.
, Transylvania
, Bukovina
and Bessarabia
united with the Romanian Old Kingdom
. Bessarabia, having declared its sovereignty in 1917 by the newly-elected Council of the Country (Sfatul Ţării
), was faced with bolshevic agitation among the Russia
n troops and Ukrainian
claims to parts of its territory. The president of the Council of the Country called on the Russian Commander-in-Chief in Iaşi
, Dmitry Shcherbachev
, to send troops to protect the country. Having no troops, he transmitted the request to the Romanians, whose military intervention was met with protest by the presidents of the Council of the Country and of the provisional government of Bessarabia and by the Soviet of Chişinău. Bessarabia declared independence from Russia on January 24, 1918, and, on April 9, 1918, Sfatul Ţării voted union with Romania: of the 148 deputies, 86 voted for union, 3 against, 36 abstained (mostly the deputies representing the minorities, 50% of Bessarabia's population at the time) and 13 were not present.
The union of Bessarabia with Romania was ratified in 1920 by the Treaty of Paris
, which however was not recognized by the Russian SFSR and the United States of America
(the United States abstaining due to the Treaty of Trianon
).
Romania retained Bessarabia from 1918 to 1940, when it accepted to give up Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union
after an ultimatum. During World War II
, Romania (in alliance with the Axis Powers
) took back Bessarabia and was awarded further territorial gains at the expense of the Soviet Union
(Transnistria
; this was lost again as the tide of war turned) as compensation for Northern Transylvania
, lost to Hungary
in 1940.
, his wife
, and his son were the first high-level Romanian visitors to the Moldavian SSR
since World War II. The Moldavian CP
First Secretary Ivan Bodiul
met them at the frontier and escorted them to Chişinău
. In December 1976, Bodiul and his wife Claudia arrived for a return visit of five days at Ceauşescu's invitation. Bodiul's visit was a "first" in the history of postwar bilateral relations. At one of his meetings in Bucharest, Bodiul said that "the good relationship was initiated by Ceauşescu's visit to Soviet Moldavia, which led to the expansion of contacts and exchanges in all fields."
On November 5, 1978 the Stânca-Costeşti Hydroelectrical Plant (at Stânca-Costeşti
) on Prut
was inaugurated six years after ratification of the basic Romanian-Soviet agreement on its construction. Romania was represented by Ion Iliescu
, while Bodiul represented the USSR.
A visit was paid from 14 to 16 June 1979, to the Moldavian SSR by an Romanian Communist Party
delegation headed by Ion Iliescu
, Political Executive Committee alternate member and Iaşi County Party Committee First Secretary.
Within a few days agreements were signed for the establishment of diplomatic ties. Within a few weeks, visa and passport-free border regimes were established, allowing Romanian and Moldovan citizens to travel across the border with identity cards only. Already in 1991, Romania started donating books for Moldovan libraries and textbooks for schools and began to offer scholarships to Moldovan students to study in Romanian high schools and universities.
During the War of Transnistria
, Romania was the only nation to support Moldova. Transnistria
received support from Russia
and Ukraine
, meaning Moldovan forces were pitted against not only against Transnistrian troops but also Russian cossacks and volunteers, as well as Ukrainian volunteers. Romania, however, sent a contingent of volunteers and military advisers to fight alongside Moldovan forces, as well as supplying Moldova with weapons and equipment.
On April 14, 1994, the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
adopted a declaration of protest against the decision of the Moldovan Parliament in favor of accession to the CIS
. The protest contained serious accusations to the legislative body of the newly established neighboring country:
in April 2009 led to a diplomatic row between the countries, after President Voronin accused Romania
of being the force behind the riots in Chişinău. Romania denied all charges of being involved in the protests.
The Romanian ambassador in Moldova, Filip Teodorescu
was declared persona non grata
by the Moldovan government, being required to leave the country within 24 hours. The following day, the Romanian parliament nominated a senior diplomat, Mihnea Constantinescu, as the new ambassador to Moldova, but two weeks later, the Moldovan government rejected him without any explanation, deepening the crisis.
The Moldovan government instituted visa requirements for Romanian citizens and closed the border between Romania and Moldova on April 7. Moldovan students studying in Romania and international journalists were not allowed to enter the country. The following day, train connections between Romania and Moldova were cancelled for undefined period, because of "technical" issues. Romania announced that it will not reciprocate on the expelling of the ambassador and it will keep the same visa regime, with visas free-of-charge for Moldovan citizens. It also condemned as "arbitrary and discriminatory" the new measures brought against Romanian nationals in Moldova and has stated that the visa scheme was "reckless" and broke a Moldova-EU pact.
The Romanian government changed the regulations which allow foreigners who had ancestors who had Romanian citizenship (including most Moldovans) to gain the Romanian citizenship
. The new law allows people with at least a Romanian great-grandparent (instead of just a grandparent as before) to request Romanian citizenship, while it added a maximum term of five months for giving a response to the request.
On February 9, 2010, the Romanian Parliament approved a new ambassador to Moldova, Marius Lazurcă
.
policy in the Soviet Union
, advocating the peaceful integration of the two states. Individuals supporting the movement are called "Unionişti" (Unionists). In Moldova, those against the movement are called "Moldovenişti" (Moldovenists). Unionist organizations in Romanian and in Moldovan civil society include "Noii Golani" (The New Hooligans
), "Deşteptarea" (The Awakening), or the movement "Basarabia - Pământ Românesc" ( Bessarabia Romanian Land
).
When the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact was signed, the territories between the Prut
and the Nistru belonged to Romania. Since the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Moldova many references were made in Romania to the necessity of eliminating the consequences of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. As a matter of fact, in June 1991, Romania's Parliament adopted a declaration through which the above mentioned Pact was declared null and void.
In the aftermath of the 2009 Chisinau riots
, director of the Moscow Institute for National Strategy Stanislav Belkovsky
reaffirmed his support for the movement, declaring he believes the civil unrest to be a prelude of a political union between the countries. Belkovsky had already authored another plan for the unification between Romania and Moldova, notably excluding Transnistria
, which would become an independent republic.
estimated the total number of Moldovans seeking Romanian citizenship to be about 800,000. Between 1991 and 2006, 95,000 Moldovans
have obtained Romanian citizenship. In the autumn of 2006, the Unionist movement has gained some momentum as the subject was more regularly discussed in prominent Romanian language
newspapers and as many Moldovans
have applied for Romanian passports in August and September 2006, alone. Oleg Serebrian
, the leader of the Social-Liberal Party
, declared that if the Moldovans and the Romanians decided to unite, neither the USA, nor Russia, could put a stop to such a union.
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
have experienced an extremely complicated relationship since Moldova's independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
in 1991. Pan-Romanianism has been a consistent part of Moldovan politics, and was adopted in the Popular Front of Moldova
Popular Front of Moldova
The Popular Front of Moldova was a political movement in the Moldavian SSR, one of the 15 union republics of the former Soviet Union, and in the newly-independent Republic of Moldova. Formally, the Front existed from 1989 to 1992...
's platform in 1992. Romania's relations with neighbour Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
have been strained since 1994. Most of Moldova was part of Romania during the interwar period and linguists generally agree that the Moldovan language
Moldovan language
Moldovan is one of the names of the Romanian language as spoken in the Republic of Moldova, where it is official. The spoken language of Moldova is closer to the dialects of Romanian spoken in northeastern Romania, and the two countries share the same literary standard...
is identical to Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
. Early signs that Romania and Moldova might unite after both countries achieved emancipation from communist rule quickly faded. Romania remains interested in Moldovan affairs but the two countries have been unable even to reach agreement on a basic bilateral treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
.
Moldova–Romania border
The Moldova-Romania border is a fluvial boundary, following the course of the PrutPrut
The Prut is a long river in Eastern Europe. In part of its course it forms the border between Romania and Moldova.-Overview:...
and Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. This external border of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
runs from Criva
Criva, Briceni
Criva is a commune in Briceni district, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Criva.It is the westernmost point in Moldova and a border crossing point to Ukraine....
in the North to Giurgiuleşti
Giurgiulesti
Giurgiuleşti is a commune in the Cahul district of Moldova. It is also a border crossing point to Romania, located from Galaţi.- Geography :...
in South.
History
In 1918, at the end of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
and Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
united with the Romanian Old Kingdom
Romanian Old Kingdom
The Romanian Old Kingdom is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Danubian Principalities—Wallachia and Moldavia...
. Bessarabia, having declared its sovereignty in 1917 by the newly-elected Council of the Country (Sfatul Ţării
Sfatul Tarii
Sfatul Țării was, in 1917-1918, the National Assembly of the Governorate of Bessarabia of the disintegrating Russian Empire, which proclaimed the independent Moldavian Democratic Republic in December 1917, and then union with Romania in April 1918.-Russian participation in World War I:In August...
), was faced with bolshevic agitation among the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n troops and Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
claims to parts of its territory. The president of the Council of the Country called on the Russian Commander-in-Chief in Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
, Dmitry Shcherbachev
Dmitry Shcherbachev
Dmitry Grigorevich Shcherbachev served as a generally unsuccessful artillery commander in the Russian Army during the World War I....
, to send troops to protect the country. Having no troops, he transmitted the request to the Romanians, whose military intervention was met with protest by the presidents of the Council of the Country and of the provisional government of Bessarabia and by the Soviet of Chişinău. Bessarabia declared independence from Russia on January 24, 1918, and, on April 9, 1918, Sfatul Ţării voted union with Romania: of the 148 deputies, 86 voted for union, 3 against, 36 abstained (mostly the deputies representing the minorities, 50% of Bessarabia's population at the time) and 13 were not present.
The union of Bessarabia with Romania was ratified in 1920 by the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1920)
The 1920 Treaty of Paris was an act signed by Romania and the principal Allied Powers of the time whose purpose was the recognition of Romanian sovereignty over Bessarabia...
, which however was not recognized by the Russian SFSR and the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(the United States abstaining due to the Treaty of Trianon
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
).
Romania retained Bessarabia from 1918 to 1940, when it accepted to give up Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
after an ultimatum. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Romania (in alliance with the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
) took back Bessarabia and was awarded further territorial gains at the expense of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(Transnistria
Transnistria (World War II)
Transnistria Governorate was a Romanian administered territory, conquered by the Axis Powers from the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa, and occupied from 19 August 1941 to 29 January 1944...
; this was lost again as the tide of war turned) as compensation for Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania is a region of Transylvania, situated within the territory of Romania. The population is largely composed of both ethnic Romanians and Hungarians, and the region has been part of Romania since 1918 . During World War II, as a consequence of the territorial agreement known as...
, lost to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1940.
Romanian-Moldovan SSR relations
In August 1976, Nicolae CeauşescuNicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
, his wife
Elena Ceausescu
Elena Ceaușescu was the wife of Romania's Communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu, and Deputy Prime Minister of Romania.-Background:She was born Elena Petrescu into a peasant family in Petrești commune, Dâmboviţa County, in the informal region of Wallachia. Her family was supported by her father's job...
, and his son were the first high-level Romanian visitors to the Moldavian SSR
Moldavian SSR
The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic , commonly abbreviated to Moldavian SSR or MSSR, was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union...
since World War II. The Moldavian CP
Communist Party of Moldova
The Communist Party of Moldova was one of the fourteen republic-level parties that formed the Communist Party of the Soviet Union until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Indeed, the PCM was the republic-level chapter of the CPSU in the Moldavian SSR from 1940 to 1991...
First Secretary Ivan Bodiul
Ivan Bodiul
Ivan Ivanovich Bodiul was a Moldovan SSR politician.- Biography :Ivan Ivanovich Bodiul was born on 3 January 1918, in Alexandrovca, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine...
met them at the frontier and escorted them to Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
. In December 1976, Bodiul and his wife Claudia arrived for a return visit of five days at Ceauşescu's invitation. Bodiul's visit was a "first" in the history of postwar bilateral relations. At one of his meetings in Bucharest, Bodiul said that "the good relationship was initiated by Ceauşescu's visit to Soviet Moldavia, which led to the expansion of contacts and exchanges in all fields."
On November 5, 1978 the Stânca-Costeşti Hydroelectrical Plant (at Stânca-Costeşti
Costeşti, Moldova
Costeşti is a city in Rîşcani district, in northern Moldova.- Overview :Costeşti has a population of 4,109 at the 2004 census. It is composed of the city itself, population 2,247, and four villages: Dămăşcani, population 361, Duruitoarea, population 379, Păscăuţi, population 950, and Proscureni,...
) on Prut
Prut
The Prut is a long river in Eastern Europe. In part of its course it forms the border between Romania and Moldova.-Overview:...
was inaugurated six years after ratification of the basic Romanian-Soviet agreement on its construction. Romania was represented by Ion Iliescu
Ion Iliescu
Ion Iliescu served as President of Romania from 1990 until 1996, and from 2000 until 2004. From 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 until his retirement in 2008, Iliescu was a Senator for the Social Democratic Party , whose honorary president he remains....
, while Bodiul represented the USSR.
A visit was paid from 14 to 16 June 1979, to the Moldavian SSR by an Romanian Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
delegation headed by Ion Iliescu
Ion Iliescu
Ion Iliescu served as President of Romania from 1990 until 1996, and from 2000 until 2004. From 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 until his retirement in 2008, Iliescu was a Senator for the Social Democratic Party , whose honorary president he remains....
, Political Executive Committee alternate member and Iaşi County Party Committee First Secretary.
Recognition by Romania
Romania was the first state to recognize the independent Republic of Moldova – only a few hours, in fact, after the declaration of independence was issued by the Moldovan parliament. From the declaration of the Romanian Government made on that occasion it clearly resulted that, in the opinion of the authorities in Bucharest, Moldova's independence was considered as a form of emancipation from Moscow's tutelage and a step towards the reunification with Romania:
"Proclamarea unui stat românesc independent pe teritoriile anexate cu forţa în urma înţelegerilor secrete stabilite prin Pactul Molotov-Ribbentrop reprezintă un pas decisiv spre înlăturarea pe cale paşnică a consecinţelor nefaste ale acestuia, îndreptate împotriva drepturilor şi intereselor poporului român."
Within a few days agreements were signed for the establishment of diplomatic ties. Within a few weeks, visa and passport-free border regimes were established, allowing Romanian and Moldovan citizens to travel across the border with identity cards only. Already in 1991, Romania started donating books for Moldovan libraries and textbooks for schools and began to offer scholarships to Moldovan students to study in Romanian high schools and universities.
During the War of Transnistria
War of Transnistria
The War of Transnistria was a limited conflict that broke out in November 1990 at Dubăsari between pro-Transnistria forces, including the Transnistrian Republican Guard, militia and Cossack units, and supported by elements of the Russian 14th army, and pro-Moldovan forces, including Moldovan...
, Romania was the only nation to support Moldova. Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
received support from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, meaning Moldovan forces were pitted against not only against Transnistrian troops but also Russian cossacks and volunteers, as well as Ukrainian volunteers. Romania, however, sent a contingent of volunteers and military advisers to fight alongside Moldovan forces, as well as supplying Moldova with weapons and equipment.
On April 14, 1994, the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
adopted a declaration of protest against the decision of the Moldovan Parliament in favor of accession to the CIS
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
. The protest contained serious accusations to the legislative body of the newly established neighboring country:
"Votul Parlamentului de la Chisinau reconfirma, in mod regretabil, Pactul criminal si anuleaza iresponsabil un drept al natiunii române de a trai in integritatea spatiului ei istoric si spiritual[...] Prin pozitia geografica, cultura, istorie si traditii, locul natural al fratilor nostri de peste Prut este, fara indoiala, impreuna cu noi, in marea familie a natiunilor europene si nicidecum in cadrul unei structuri euro-asiatice."
2009 diplomatic row
The civil unrest in Moldova2009 Moldova civil unrest
The 2009 civil unrest in Moldova began on April 7, 2009, in major cities of Moldova before the results of the 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election were announced...
in April 2009 led to a diplomatic row between the countries, after President Voronin accused Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
of being the force behind the riots in Chişinău. Romania denied all charges of being involved in the protests.
The Romanian ambassador in Moldova, Filip Teodorescu
Filip Teodorescu
Filip Teodorescu is a Romanian diplomat. He was the Romanian Ambassador to Moldova .- Biography :Filip Teodorescu was appointed as the Romanian ambassador to Chişinău in March 2003 and arrived at post in April 2003...
was declared persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
by the Moldovan government, being required to leave the country within 24 hours. The following day, the Romanian parliament nominated a senior diplomat, Mihnea Constantinescu, as the new ambassador to Moldova, but two weeks later, the Moldovan government rejected him without any explanation, deepening the crisis.
The Moldovan government instituted visa requirements for Romanian citizens and closed the border between Romania and Moldova on April 7. Moldovan students studying in Romania and international journalists were not allowed to enter the country. The following day, train connections between Romania and Moldova were cancelled for undefined period, because of "technical" issues. Romania announced that it will not reciprocate on the expelling of the ambassador and it will keep the same visa regime, with visas free-of-charge for Moldovan citizens. It also condemned as "arbitrary and discriminatory" the new measures brought against Romanian nationals in Moldova and has stated that the visa scheme was "reckless" and broke a Moldova-EU pact.
The Romanian government changed the regulations which allow foreigners who had ancestors who had Romanian citizenship (including most Moldovans) to gain the Romanian citizenship
Romanian nationality law
Romanian nationality law is based on the 1991 Romanian Citizenship law. It is based on the social policy of jus sanguinis , by which nationality or citizenship is not determined by place of birth, but by having an ancestor who is a national or citizen of the state. It contrasts with jus soli...
. The new law allows people with at least a Romanian great-grandparent (instead of just a grandparent as before) to request Romanian citizenship, while it added a maximum term of five months for giving a response to the request.
On February 9, 2010, the Romanian Parliament approved a new ambassador to Moldova, Marius Lazurcă
Marius Lazurcă
Marius Gabriel Lazurca is a Romanian diplomat. He is the Romanian Ambassador to Moldova.- Biography :Lazurca was born in 1971 in Timişoara city. He graduated from the University of Timişoara in 1996, where he received a diploma in French language and literature and Romanian language and literature...
.
Unification movement
A movement for the unification of Romania and Moldova began in both countries after the 1989 Romanian Revolution and the glasnostGlasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
policy in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, advocating the peaceful integration of the two states. Individuals supporting the movement are called "Unionişti" (Unionists). In Moldova, those against the movement are called "Moldovenişti" (Moldovenists). Unionist organizations in Romanian and in Moldovan civil society include "Noii Golani" (The New Hooligans
Golaniad
The Golaniad was a protest in Romania in the University Square, Bucharest. It was initiated by students and professors at the University of Bucharest....
), "Deşteptarea" (The Awakening), or the movement "Basarabia - Pământ Românesc" ( Bessarabia Romanian Land
Bessarabia Romanian Land
Bessarabia, Romanian Land is the name of a campaign which promotes unification between Romania and Moldova.-Campaign:The campaign consists of:...
).
When the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact was signed, the territories between the Prut
Prut
The Prut is a long river in Eastern Europe. In part of its course it forms the border between Romania and Moldova.-Overview:...
and the Nistru belonged to Romania. Since the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Moldova many references were made in Romania to the necessity of eliminating the consequences of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. As a matter of fact, in June 1991, Romania's Parliament adopted a declaration through which the above mentioned Pact was declared null and void.
In the aftermath of the 2009 Chisinau riots
2009 Moldova civil unrest
The 2009 civil unrest in Moldova began on April 7, 2009, in major cities of Moldova before the results of the 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election were announced...
, director of the Moscow Institute for National Strategy Stanislav Belkovsky
Stanislav Belkovsky
Stanislav Alexandrovich Belkovsky is a Russian political analyst and communication specialist. A political conservative, he is said to be very close to Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky...
reaffirmed his support for the movement, declaring he believes the civil unrest to be a prelude of a political union between the countries. Belkovsky had already authored another plan for the unification between Romania and Moldova, notably excluding Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
, which would become an independent republic.
Dual citizenship
Romanian President Traian BăsescuTraian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
estimated the total number of Moldovans seeking Romanian citizenship to be about 800,000. Between 1991 and 2006, 95,000 Moldovans
Moldovans
Moldovans or Moldavians are the largest population group of Moldova...
have obtained Romanian citizenship. In the autumn of 2006, the Unionist movement has gained some momentum as the subject was more regularly discussed in prominent Romanian language
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
newspapers and as many Moldovans
Moldovans
Moldovans or Moldavians are the largest population group of Moldova...
have applied for Romanian passports in August and September 2006, alone. Oleg Serebrian
Oleg Serebrian
Oleg Serebrian is a Moldovan politician, diplomat and political scientist .- Biography :He studied law and history at the "Ion Creangă" State University in Chişinău and international relations at the European Institute of High International Studies in Nice, France. Serebrian entered the Ministry...
, the leader of the Social-Liberal Party
Social Liberal Party (Moldova)
The Social Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Moldova, led by Oleg Serebrian.At the legislative elections, 6 March 2005, the party was part of the Electoral Bloc Democratic Moldova , that won 28.4 % of the popular vote and 34 out of 101 seats. Inside the Bloc the party won 3 seats...
, declared that if the Moldovans and the Romanians decided to unite, neither the USA, nor Russia, could put a stop to such a union.
See also
- Controversy over national identity in Moldova
- Moldovan Embassy, BucharestMoldovan Embassy, BucharestThe Embassy of Moldova in Bucharest is the diplomatic mission of Moldova to Romania. The Embassy provides consular services to Moldova citizens residing or travelling in Romania, Serbia and Montenegro.-Overview:...
- Moldovan Consulate General, IaşiMoldovan Consulate General, IaşiThe Consulate General of Moldova in Iaşi is a consulate general of Moldova to Romania. The official opening of the Consulate took place on September 1, 2010.-See also:*List of diplomatic missions of Moldova*Moldovan–Romanian relations...
- Romanian Embassy, ChişinăuRomanian Embassy, ChişinăuThe Embassy of Romania in Chişinău is the diplomatic mission of Romania to Moldova. The embassy is located in Downtown Chişinău, at 66/1 Bucureşti Street.- History :Romania was the first state to recognize the independence of Moldova on August 27, 1991...
- Romanian Consulate General, CahulRomanian Consulate General, CahulThe Consulate General of Romania in Cahul is a consulate general of Romania to Moldova.- History :Romanian President Traian Băsescu on November 2, 2009 signed the decrees on opening of Romanian general consulat in Cahul...
- Romanian Consulate General, BălţiRomanian Consulate General, BălţiThe Consulate General of Romania in Bălţi is a consulate general of Romania to Moldova.-History:The Consulate was opened on 9 July 2010. The event brought together the Moldovan and Romanian Ministers of Foreign Affairs - Iurie Leancă and Teodor Baconschi, Marius Lazurcă, MPs, representatives of...