During the World War II in Yugoslavia the country was divided in different directly occupied territories and puppet states. While most of the other Yugoslav Axis neighbors participated in division, Romania did not occupy any Yugoslav territory with some sources claiming Romanian reluctant refusal to do so despite German offers.[1] Other sources claim that Nazi Germany was reluctant to transfer Banat to Romania for fear of armed conflict between Romania and Hungary therefore establishing its direct control in the region.[1]
Following the 1948 Tito–Stalin split close relations with all Eastern Bloc countries, including Romania, were either suspended or significantly strained. The relations between Romania and Yugoslavia were particularly tense over the issue of navigation on the Danube river where East Bloc its earlier favorable position.[2]
Following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia Romania developed closer relations with countries which were not part of the East Bloc. Ceaușescu regime promoted friendly relations both with China and Yugoslavia and openly opposed the Brezhnev Doctrine.[3] Between 1964 and President Tito's death in 1980 Ceaușescu and Tito met more than 20 times.[4]
When the Yugoslav wars broke out, an important trading partner was thus lost for Romania. In 1993 President of RomaniaIon Iliescu traveled to Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana to become acquainted with their positions and to offer its "neutral" mediation.[5] During the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia Romania accepted NATO request and permitted NATO aircraft to use Romanian air space.[6] Official Bucharest was in delicate situation in which it tried to show solidarity with the Atlantic Alliance (to which it wanted to join) while also preserving its traditionally good relations with Serbia.[5] A great majority of Romanians opposed the NATO intervention in Serbia. [7]
