Never the same: Romania and Bulgaria

Suspicious, holding the blade in trembling hands, always carrying on each other trouble, or superiority, as it takes, competing, hating, trying to do something else, that is more than the other could do, or did. Bulgaria and Romania, or Romania and Bulgaria. Forced to be together, but on their own, as always, the Kosovo matter pointed it. Yet, the truth came out in mysterious and strange ways. Bulgaria is to recognize Kosovo as an independent state. Romania, don’t. Bulgaria is a Slavic born country, like the Serbs; Romania is a Latin one, genuinely disgracing the Russians (unlike the Bulgarians and the Serbs) – still, the only Serbia’s allies in the area are Romania and Greece, while Bulgaria stepped down and counter.
Why?
That’s the question. And, as always lately in the last centuries, there could be no answers. Obviously, Romania dislike Russia – there’s no need to prove that. No affinities, no sympathy. A lot of bad feelings after 50 years of communism, malicious, almost crazy, disruptive, Slavonic-orthodox pressure. Not to mention that Romania became a Christian-orthodox country only after Bulgarian occupation in the XI-st century. Historical data are avoided, for the Orthodox Church is overwhelmingly powerful and agreed by most of 83 percent of the population.
So, what’s the reason for this switch-up?
The answer might be as that as simple: the competition. Since the U.S. and the EU states (in their strongest core) recognized Kosovo, any different string played might seem uncomfortable. To be the first on line: that’s a point. Yet, Romania decided on to history and dignity, unlike Bulgaria. There was a will, a kind of sympathy between Serbia and Romania that surpass any Balkan interest. Romania doesn’t care about Russia’s interest. It was just a matter of soul, though that sounds poetical. Maybe a little bit of guilt, after allowing – for national interest – the U.S. fighters to take-off from Romanian military airports on bombing Serbia, for Bosnia.

Bertrand Russell said” ‘History teaches us that men never learn from history’. This area of Europe is still here. With proud (maybe too much, and certainly hot), with high climbs and deep forests, just made for guerilla fighting, against all odds.

We are all afraid, here, of the sparkle. And we all hope the ‘illuminated’ would be gentle… Are they?


Felix-Gabriel Lefter
Bucharest, Romania