MAE: Centenary of Convention of defensive alliance between the Republic of Poland and the Kingdom of Romania

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) welcomes the celebration, in March, of the 100th anniversary since the conclusion, in Bucharest, of the Convention of defensive alliance between the Kingdom of Romania and the Republic of Poland. The Convention was signed on March 3, 1921 by the Romanian Foreign Minister, Take Ionescu, and his counterpart, Eustachy Sapieha, following the decision of the two heads of state, King Ferdinand I and Marshal Jozef Pilsudski. Through the signed agreement, the two parties undertook to provide armed assistance in case of an unprovoked attack at their eastern border, the MAE recalls. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, also evoked the special anniversary moment during the meeting he had on March 23, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Heads of Diplomacy of NATO countries, with his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau. "Our rapprochement has not only had an impact at the bilateral level, but has also contributed to regional stability. Romania and the Republic of Poland are today strategic partners, bilateral relations being characterized by a regular dynamic of dialogue and substantial cooperation in multiple areas," said Aurescu. According to the MAE, the Romanian-Polish defensive alliance "was based on common political-strategic reasons, pragmatic objectives and cultural and spiritual affinities and was fundamental for the development of interwar relations between the two states." The alliance marked the regional security and defence policies of Romania and Poland in the interwar period, and bilateral relations have seen an upward evolution on multiple levels - political, military, economic, cultural and others," reads a press release of the MAE sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday. The conclusion of the alliance with Poland represented an important support for Romania in the system of alliances meant to guarantee the territorial integrity of Greater Romania. Poland, which in turn regained national sovereignty and independence on November 11, 1918, had similar strategic interests, the same source shows. The spirit of the Convention of defensive alliance between the Kingdom of Romania and the Republic of Poland is highlighted by the provisions according to which the parties decided to synchronize their pacifist efforts, including by consulting on external issues of common interest. Military cooperation was regulated in a separate convention, signed by Generals Constantin Christescu and Tadeusz Rozwadowski, by which the General Staffs of the two armies established the concrete modalities for the implementation of the provisions of the political convention. The Convention thus contributed to the establishment of special relations at the highest level and to the materialization of a series of bilateral visits and meetings at the highest level. King Ferdinand had cordial relations with the Polish head of state, Marshal Jozef Pilsudskila, as well as King Carol II with President Ignacy Moscicki. These close relations have boosted bilateral cooperation, also reflected in the increase of the degree of diplomatic representation in the two capitals at embassy level, starting with May 1, 1938, according to the MAE. In the spirit of this friendship and international humanitarian law, Romania offered support to Poland in the fall of the tragic year 1939. Thus, Romania contributed to the rescue of the Polish National Treasury and provided refuge and transit through Romania for about 100,000 Poles, including Senior Polish leaders, such as President Ignacy Moscicki and Foreign Minister Jozef Beck, as the document also mentions. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Claudia Stanescu, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)