Negotiating Bilateral Relations in Central and Eastern Europe: The Case of the Hungarian-Romanian Basic Treaty Negotiation

Following 1989, most Central and Eastern European states signed treaties of friendship to maintain regional stability and advance bilateral cooperation. Due to opposing stances between the parties, in some cases, bilateral negotiation has led to heated and long-lasting debate. This paper focuses on the negotiation of the Hungarian-Romanian basic treaty and analyzes how the interrelation of domestic and external factors influenced the parties’ position and strategies. Based on archival sources, the study explores the dynamics and hidden mechanisms of the negotiation and argues that negotiation can be considered a multilevel game because not only the two governments but also other actors endeavored to influence the outcome. The study provides insights into how ethnic parties ( rmdsz ) and the involvement of external actors, especially the intervention of the United States, shaped the Hungarian-Romanian interstate relations, which resulted in the primacy of security and stability over comprehensive provisions and power-sharing arrangements for national minorities.