Diplomacy in the Times of Transition: Evolution of Romania’s Foreign Policy (From December 1989 to 1992)

The article deals with the evolution of Romania’s foreign policy during the period of transition (from December 1989 to 1992). This period has played an important role in the history of Romanian diplomacy because it has laid the foundation of the political course that was implemented in the following decades. But Romania did not choose this course from the beginning and for a certain time maintained her typical multivector diplomacy, balancing between Moscow and the West. Only when her initial calculations turned out to be a mistake, course was abruptly changed. This paper analyzes the reasons for Romania’s actions and with the usage of historical sources reveals the details of the events. In particular, the article analyzes the signing of the Soviet-Romanian basic treaty in 1991, which was the only example of how the so-called «Kvitsinsky doctrine» was put in practice in the relations between the USSR and East European countries.