Bosnia and Herzegovina–Romania relations

Romania-Bosnia and Herzegovina relations
Romania	Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina–Romania relations are foreign relations between Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina .

History

Romania recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina’s independence on March 1, 1996, both countries established diplomatic relations on the same day. Bosnia and Herzegovina has an embassy in Bucharest. Romania has an embassy in Sarajevo. Relations were described as "excellent" by the foreign ministers in 2006, ahead of the opening of the Bosnian embassy in Bucharest.^[1]

Both countries are full members of the Southeast European Cooperation Process, of the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative, of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and of the Council of Europe. They entered into a free trade agreement in April 2003,^[2] which Romania withdrew from following its entry into the European Union (EU) in 2007.^[3] President Traian Băsescu of Romania made an official visit to Bosnia in March 2008.^[4] Romania has argued against any rapid withdrawal of troops from Bosnia,^[5] and supports Bosnian entry into the EU.^[6]

Romania contributed 200 soldiers to a non-combat Engineering Battalion of IFOR/SFOR in the wake of the Bosnian conflict in the mid-90s,^[7] four helicopters to the EUFOR operation between 2005 and 2006, and 85 police to the EU mission between 2003 and 2006.^[8]^[9] The countries signed a military cooperation plan in 2006.^[10]

Police raids of Bosnian brothels in 2001 found that many of the women had been trafficked from Romania, and they were offered repatriation.^[11] The UN confirmed that Romanian officers were investigated for possible collusion in the sex trafficking.^[12] Further raids in 2002 were organised by the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative in Bucharest, Romania.^[13]