The Romanian position is clear: “Russia’s request to withdraw NATO forces from Romania is inadmissible, it cannot be negotiated,” reacted in a press release the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, on January 21. He congratulates the United States and France for their recent announcements concerning their willingness to deploy troops in Romania, while hoping for a “open dialogue process with the Russian Federation which will lead to a de-escalation of the security situation”. Its Bulgarian neighbor displays the same determination, despite its sympathies towards Moscow and a greater dependence on Russian gas.
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Even if it is weakened by chronic political instability and the rise of anti-Western opinion, Romania has always asserted itself as a loyal outpost on the eastern flank since its entry into NATO in 2004. An advantage strategic for the United States, which has strengthened its military and energy relations with Bucharest since the invasion of Crimea by Russia in 2014. A thousand American soldiers are stationed in Romania, as well as 140 Italian soldiers and 250 , Polish.
An anti-Soviet past
During the communist period, Romania was already a band apart within the Eastern bloc. The country had thus negotiated the departure of Soviet troops from its territory at the end of the 1950s, and even had an anti-KGB unit within the Securitate, the secret political police. It was also the only satellite state to oppose the 1968 invasion of Prague by Warsaw Pact troops led by Moscow. “The Romanian communists understood at the time that if they were not nationalists, it was impossible to legitimize the regime in Romania, explains political scientist Cristian Pirvulescu. Ceausescu continued with “national-communism”, which became the official ideology. And this anti-Soviet line continued until the end. »
If this vision still remains in the majority today, the presence of foreign troops on Romanian territory is not to everyone’s taste. In recent years, anti-Western ideas have progressed, fed by social networks, and materialized with the rise of the far-right party Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR). “These opinions were already present, but there was a release of speech”, says the analyst. According to him, even if the extreme right does not proclaim itself pro-Russian, “his discourse on the decadence of the West and traditionalism are close to those of Putin”.
A weakened Atlanticist prime minister
Another weak point of the government in Bucharest: chronic political instability. While an unexpected coalition between the historical enemy brothers, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL), seemed to concretize for two months a lasting agreement after weeks without a government, an investigation by the independent media Pressone reveals that the new Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, plagiarized his doctoral thesis.
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The opposition is calling for his resignation. “The accusation of plagiarism is often used as a political weapon in Romania, says Cristian Pirvulescu. In fact, in the midst of an energy, health and security crisis, the head of government, a former soldier and convinced Atlanticist, finds himself weakened. »