The Romanian-Lithuanian relations. Diplomatic documents, (1919-1944)

• Academia: knygos tekstas

ENToday Romania and Lithuania stand side by side, united in a large European family together with other partner countries, all sharing the same fundamental values and working together for a peaceful and prosperous European future. Centuries ago, in the medieval period, our nations were also standing side by side, being neighbors. Later on, on February 16, 1918 Lithuania declared its independence and was trying and hoping to open the gates to Europe with the help of Romania, because at that time Romania was Poland’s “strategic partner”. Nevertheless, only in August 1924 diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Romania have been established. Obviously, when both nations were striving to consolidate their newly acquired favorable status on the international scene, the bilateral relations between Romania and Lithuania have witnessed periods of varying activity, often influenced also by the international context at the moment (League of Nations, etc.). Before the Second World War we were seeking each other’s support mainly in order to tackle the common external threats both nations were facing. This collection of documents is also interesting because it reflects the situation after August 25, 1940, when the diplomatic relations between Lithuania have been violently interrupted. And what is necessary to be mentioned, is that on the historical intersections of events in Europe, Romania never de jure recognized the fact of occupation and annexation of the Republic of Lithuania by the soviet power.