Romanian Diplomacy

Whenever refferences to Romanian diplomacy are made, the name of one man inevitably appears : Nicolae Titulescu ( 1882, Craiova – 1941, Cannes).
For many, he is known as the Romanian diplomat who became the president of the Ligue of Nations (the ancestor of nowadays UN). He is the man that had the guts and the character to take stand against the invasion of Abyssinia (today Ethiopia) by the back then fascist Italy. However, his legacy is much greater.
Internally, he supported the distribution of land to the peasantry, the introduction of universal voting, the introduction of a progressive taxation system. Externally, Nicolae Titulescu is the diplomat who projected his image over the Romanian diplomacy in a period of great unrests in an Europe that had already passed through a World War and could not find its peace.
Fluent in the main spoken languages, he rapidly makes his name known through his eloquence of speech and his ability to speak open but most of all due to the determination to follow his principles and to translate them in actions. He is alltogether admired and envied by his collegues from the foreign diplomacies.

He pursued without rest the legitimecy of international law, the submission of arms before law, the creation of alliances who would prevent another war. He strongly believed in the peacekeeping role of the Ligue of Nations.
Anticipating a new war he put his talent and skills in coordinating Romania’s Foreign Policy in the attempt to find new solutions for lasting peace and the prevention of a new conflict. He opossed revisionism, coordinated Little Entante (1933), the Balcanic Agreement (1934), he pursued the consolidation of relations between Romania and France, he publicly condemned the transgression of Germany of the military aspect regarding the Treaty of Versailles (1935), he requested sanctions against Italy for invading Abbysinia. In 1929 he singed on behalf of Romania, together with Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and USSR the pact later known as Litvinov pact reffering to non-agression in solving differences between states.

An entire library could not cover and portrait fair enough the force this man represented, this symbol of the Romanian diplomacy. His speeches are self-testimony:
He militates for the ending of Romanian neutrality during the 1st WW: “Romania can no longer prolongue its neutrality which has gone over its necesities and most of all over its dignity.”
During the sessions of the Ligue, when it was discussed the creation of an European Economic Union, he supported the admission of Turkey and USSR at the meating even though they were not considered entirey European states: “I believe that there are not 10 economical problems, but only one and that this problem is a world wide problem” (Speech at the Study Comission for the European Union, Geneva, 11th January 1931).
During a time when the voices of big nations found a way to have themselves heard, Nicolae Titulescu oposses their decisions, forcing a straight position on behalf of the Ligue of Nations: “With regret I speak that I do not agree neither with the delegate of France, nor with the delegate of Great Britain. This is not happening often. But when it does, I will insist with the tenacity you all know by now.[…] It is said that at Geneva, there are states who make their way with force and that there are other states who do not obtaining their will inspite of the uninterrupted gestures of devotion during the last 15 years. It is said that the Society of Nations does not distinguish between those who sin and those that do not. Gentlemen, there is no lasting religion who did not creat a Hell along Paradise. If you are always certain to go to Heaven, you can as well be certain that no such religion will make itself respected.[…] You have not once heard me using such a harsh language when it came to matters directly involving my country. Bu this time it involves something more important: it adresses a matter of international justice. Here me, that Romanians endure every sufferences, but here me well, that they will never accept injustice.’ (Speech on the ocassion of adressing sanctions against Italy for invading Abyssinia).

He foretold the ascession of fascism and nazism across Europe and tried through all means to consolidate alliances and relations between states in order to prevent another conflict: “Briand wanted to practice a policy of agreement with Germany, at Cannes in 1922. He was prevented from doing so because the world said: it is too early. The experience proved that everything that was done afterward was too late.” (Conference held by Nicolae Titulescu at Oxford, in 1937). In the book of a French journalist, Genevieve Tabouis – “20 years of diplomatic tensions” she revealed that the demand to remove Titulescu from public life was initiated by Hitler who saw in the Romanian diplomat an immediate danger in the way of his plans. The journalist has disclosed that the German ambassador in Paris told her that Hitler could not put his plans in action until certain people were not killed. On the list of those that needed to be removed, Titulescu’s name was the first. (Note: the book first appeared in Paris in 1958 – the informations regarding this disclosure can be found on the website of the Romanian Consul in Boston).

He put his life in the service of peace. He pursued without hesitation the recognition of the principle according to which, every state is equal in international relations. (because of this he was so determined concerning the invasion of Abyssinia). He conducted the Romanian foreign policy and became the symbol of Romanian diplomacy of all times.
In the eyes of the world, he was the person who had the courage to make a stand for issues concerning difficult matters, disregarding any influence those accused by him might have had, all in the name of an unmatched sense of justice. Andre Simone in the book “J’accuse the man who betrayed France” (1940), wrote: “Rumanian Foreign Minister Nicolas Titulescu, a brilliant statesman with the face of a gargoyle, was an advocate of collective security.”

It is time to make our values known, it is time to know our value !

Sources:
http://www.roconsulboston.com/Pages/InfoPages/Government/Titulescu4.html
http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Titulescu
http://www.answers.com/topic/nicolae-titulescu
Nicolae Titulescu – Discursuri (antologie de discursuri si luari de cuvant ale diplomatului roman), Ed. Stiintifica, Bucuresti, 1987
http://www.archive.org/stream/jaccusethemenwho006749mbp/jaccusethemenwho006749mbp_djvu.txt