Basescu: Romania’s relations with the Russian Federation will record positive developments

Romania's President Traian Basescu says relations between Romania and the Russian Federation will record positive developments in the future.

Basescu on Monday attended the release of a joint stamp issue devoted to the 130th anniversary of Romanian-Russian diplomatic ties and depicting monuments registered with the UNESCO World Heritage List. The event was part of the EFIRO 2008 world philatelic exhibition mounted in Bucharest.

'Stamps, much the same as money, have a strong national character. The fact that the authorities of the two countries decided to release a joint stamp issue indicates their cooperation potentials and openness to cooperation. I can assure you that there will be positive developments in the Romania-Russia relationship. Today's event is one of a wider series of events celebrating the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Romania and Russia,' said Basescu.

According to the Romanian head of state, the Romanian-Russian stamp issue marks another kind of relations between Romanian and Russians after years of strenuous relations.

'The developments in the past three years indicate that both countries wish to clarify their future, not their relations of the past. From my conversations with the former Russian President Vladimir Putin, I can detect the wish of both sides for their relationship to become a solid and pragmatic one, based on mutual interests and seeking solutions for our region, the Black Sea region,' said Basescu.

In relation to the joint stamp issued by the Romanian and Russian philatelic authorities depicting Church St. George of Voronet and Church St. Demeter of Vladimiri, Basescu said that was excellent.

'This stamp highlights what unites us the most, namely the Christian Orthodox faith. We are two Orthodox peoples. It also highlights a special fact, namely that both peoples are able to offer the world heritage things of extreme value, be it Church St. George of Voronet or Church St. Demeter of Vladimiri,' Basescu explained.

He added that the existing Romanian-Russian cooperation proves that the two countries know how to collaborate in relation to sensitive issues.

In his turn, Russian ambassador in Bucharest Alexandr Ciurilin pointed out that Christian Orthodoxy is keeping the two countries close to each other.

'We are close to each other by our way of living and way of thinking. Most of the believers in Romania and Russia belong to the Christian Orthodox denomination, and this stamp reflects this common trait,' said Ciurilin. He added that the stamp release is a contribution to the strengthening of traditional friendly relations between Russia and Romania.

Also attending the release was deputy bishop Vicentiu Ploiesteanu, who read out a message from Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Christian Orthodox Church that praised the release of the stamps devoted to the 130th anniversary of Romanian-Russian diplomatic ties and depicting monuments registered with the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Ties between Romania and Russia are over three hundred years old. Records attest to the existence of relations between medieval Romanian principalities with the Kievan Russia and the Grand Duchy of Moscow before they became vassals to the Sublime Porte.

In the second half of the 14th century, Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great entered alliance relations with Moscow, and politicians as well as men of culture from the Romanian principalities, including court employee Milescu and Dimitrie Cantemir cooperated with the Russian czars.

Under the 1774 Kuciuk-Kainargi Peace Treaty, Russia was granted trusteeship over the Romanian principalities, which were still left under Turkish suzerainty. Russia was also the first European power to appoint consuls in Romanian principalities: one general consul in Iasi and one deputy consul in Bucharest, in 1780.

Under the 1829 Adrianople Peace Treaty, the organic regulations of the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia were drawn up under the guidance of Russian General Pavel Kiseleff.

Later one, Russia opened new consul's offices in various Romanian localities. After the 1859 Union, Romania concluded it first international convention as a new entity with Russia, a convention on telegraphic cooperation, under an agreement of December 15, 1860, that came into force on February 13, 1862.

After Romania's victory against the Ottoman Empire in the 1877 Independence War, Romania established diplomatic ties with Russia at a legate level, on October 15, 1878, by appointing a representative in Petersburg.

On December 21, 1878, Russia established a consulate in Tulcea, then deputy consul's offices in Constanta (February 11, 1880), Sulina (20 November 1881), Ploiesti (July 4, 1912) and Giurgiu (October 30, 1915). Romania opened honorary consul's offices in Moscow (December 23, 1882), Petersburg (December 17, 1890), Rostov on the Don (July 19, 1903), and Odesa (July 1, 1917). On January 15, 1918, the relations were severed.

On June 9, 1934, Romania established diplomatic ties with the USSR at a legate level, followed by the signature of an agreement on the resumption of trade on the railway (February 1935), and a commercial agreement (February 1936). On June 22, 1941, the diplomatic ties were severed again and resumed on August 6, 1945. On August 24, 1945, the diplomatic ties were promoted to embassy.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the USSR diplomatic and consular offices in Romania became the diplomatic and consular offices of the Russian Federation, while the Romanian diplomatic mission in Moscow became Romania's Embassy in the Russian Federation. On July 5, 2003, Romania's General Consulate opened in Saint Petersburg, and on October 12, 2005 a general consulate of Romania opened in Rostov on the Don.

On May 5, 2003, then Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and then Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana initialled in Bucharest a friendly cooperation agreement between Romania and Russia.

On July 4, 2003, Romanian President Ion Iliescu and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on friendly cooperation between Romania and the Russian Federation that opened a new chapter in the history of the Romanian-Russian relationship.

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