Dr. G?zim Visoka:

With regard to Romania and Bulgaria, Romania's position when it comes to Moldova is that they are brotherly nations, and they are open. They are happy that they got EU status because they had been lobbying for a long time. They are against the independence of Transnistria and their position is clear. Certainly for them, Moldova turning westwards is very positive and important for geopolitical reasons but also for ethnic and historical reasons. The Ukraine crisis has played well for Romania's foreign policy and geopolitical interests. It has had that long-standing position.

Romania does not recognise Kosovo and aligns with Serbia, partially because Romania has its own concerns when it comes to a Hungarian minority. It believes that a Kosovan precedent could affect Romania but it is happy to switch sides. If it sees that Serbia is aligning further with Russia, the indications are that Romania would switch, so it is a pragmatic recogniser, if I may say so.

When it comes to Serbia, Romania has also conditions for the Vlach community, a small minority in Serbia. Its strategic position is to wait until Serbia gets close enough before bringing up its own list of conditions. The problem with enlargement is that each country in the region has historical legacy problems with the neighbours. Those who are in use the EU as a platform to block others.