Codrul Cosminului (Jul 2012)
The emergence of the problem of Bukovina within the European geopolitical space
Abstract
The problem of the North-Western Moldavia (named later on, by the Austrian occupants, Bukovina) emerged within the European geopolitical space in 1775, when the territory has been annexed by the Habsburg Empire. However, before that moment, the Northern part of the future Bukovina (Şipeniţ district) was disputed by Poland and Moldavia Yet, the Polish-Moldavian border was clearly established, including the Northern part of Bucovina (wanted by Poland) within the Moldavian Principality. The Austrian emperor and administration used a few motivations for the annexation of the North-Western Moldavia: 1. the imposition of a cordon against the plague („which burned down long time before in Moldavia”); 2. „the need” to annex „a strip” (in reality, two big districts were annexed) from the territory of Moldavia for the construction of a road linking Transylvania with Galicia; 3. the historical rights of the Pocuţia (i.e., Galicia), which have come in possession of Austria, on the North of Moldavia (Şipeniţ County). Some of the real reasons of occupation were: 1. „insatiable hunger for new territorial acquisitions; lust for the expansion of the Empire and seizing new territories bringing profit; 2. to compensate for the loss of another territory – Oltenia – in this case, with the North-Western Moldavia; 3. a desire to have a strategic area to be pursued in a subsequent expansion in Moldavia and Wallachia, respectively in the Danube region and in the Eastern Balkans. As in June 1940, the Soviet authorities have linked the issue of Bessarabia with the issue of Bukovina, I believe that the problem of Transnistria (Moldavia) should be viewed in connection with the issue of ethnic Romanian Community territory of Northern Bukovina (now in Cernăuţi region). A solution for the problem of the Romanian community in Northern Bukovina is possible by the passage of municipalities inhabited by Romanians from Northern Bukovina to Republic of Moldavia, in return for passing several areas with villages and towns populated by Ukrainians or Russian speakers from Moldovian Transnistria to Ukraine.
