Vladimir Lj. Cvetković

Institut za noviju istoriju Srbije, Beograd

cvetkovicv@yahoo.com

The restoration of diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Romania after the Second World War

Abstract: Based on Yugoslav archival sources and relevant literature, the paper examines the process of normalization of diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Romania after the Second World War. Despite mutual interest, the normalization didn’t come easy and it was heavily affected by numerous factors like the way that relations were broken off in 1941, the interests and influence of the Soviet Union, and the internal situation in Romania. The process that began in September 1944 ended in February 1946.

Keywords: Yugoslavia, Romania, Yugoslav-Romanian relations, diplomatic relations, Second World War, Sovietization

Summary: Diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Romania were broken off in May 1941 because of Romanian recognition of the Independent State of Croatia formed by Nazis on Yugoslav soil. After King’s Michael coup d’état from August 1945 and Romania switching sides and turning to the Western Allies, Romania was interested in restoring relations with Yugoslavia in order to get out of diplomatic isolation. The new Yugoslav government dominated by the Communist party of Yugoslavia was completely under the influence of the Soviet Union and acted in accordance with Soviet demands that diplomatic relations with Romania not be restored before Soviet-Romanian relations. Therefore, Yugoslavia sent a political representative to Bucharest in October 1944. The formal initiative for the restoration came from the Romanian side in August 1945 and the final restoration only in February 1946. The protracted process of restoring diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Romania after the Second World War was a consequence of foreign policy circumstances, problems caused by the severance of relations, but also the resulting internal political situation in Romania. In the conflict between king Michael and the civic parties with the People’s Democratic Front (dominated by the Communist Party of Romania), which was part of a wider process of the Sovietization of Romania, Yugoslavia was an active supporter of Romanian communist and Soviets. For that reason, the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries should be seen as part of the assistance that Yugoslavia provided to the Communist Party of Romania in its efforts to gain absolute power in the country.