Romania and Türkiye in the Dynamics of East-West Relations during the Cold War. Security Projects in the Balkans and Official Meetings, 1953-1989
Romania and Türkiye in the Dynamics of East-West Relations during the Cold War. Security Projects in the Balkans and Official Meetings, 1953-1989

Summary/Abstract: The framework of bilateral relations between Romania and Türkiye during the Cold War was analysed taking into account the evolution of the international system and the ideological bipolarity of the two political-military alliances, to which the two states belonged. After Stalin’s death, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Romania, and Khrushchev’s relative policy of détente, the establishment in Bucharest gradually began to build its own agenda abroad. It aimed at resuming relations with the West, especially in the economic area, and to assert itself internationally, by launching initiatives including in the field of security and cooperation in the Balkans. The objectives of the Romanian officials have also found their counterpart in relations with Türkiye, which is also interested in reconsidering the relations with the US and its allies after the missile crisis and in prioritizing its own foreign interests. Particularly, after Nicolae Ceausescu came to power, we witness a notable evolution of Romanian-Turkish relations maintained by a dynamic exchange of mutual visits starting from the level of heads of government (Maurer – Demirel), Foreign Ministers or those who held portfolios in the economic, technical, industrial, cultural and scientific area and up to head of state (Ceaușescu-Sunay), maintained until the second half of the 1980s. The constant development of the bilateral dialogue has been reflected in countless long-term agreements concluded between Romania and Türkiye at industrial, technical-scientific, cultural, commercial level, the establishment of joint economic commissions, but also in the progress made in the area of military cooperation, in the field of military industry and in the mutual support of security projects aimed at transforming the Balkans into an area of peace and good neighbourly relations.

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