Romania–Ukraine Resume Dialogue on National Minority Rights and Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation

Romania and Ukraine Resume Dialogue on the Rights of National Minorities

Romania and Ukraine have resumed, after a several-year hiatus, the activities of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Ensuring the Rights of Persons Belonging to National Minorities. The meeting held on August 28, 2026, took place online and was the Commission’s first meeting since the previous session, held in Bucharest in 2018.

According to the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), at the end of the meeting, the two sides noted “significant progress” in ensuring the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine and the Ukrainian minority in Romania.

Resumption of Dialogue in the Context of the Strategic Partnership

The reactivation of the Commission comes amid the strengthening of bilateral relations between Romania and Ukraine. On March 12, 2026, Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Nicușor Dan signed, in Bucharest, the Joint Declaration establishing the Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and Romania.

The document identifies political dialogue, European integration and bilateral cooperation among the priority areas, providing a broader framework for the development of relations between the two countries.

The work of the Joint Commission is based on the Treaty on Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation between Romania and Ukraine, signed on June 2, 1997. Article 13 of the treaty establishes commitments regarding the protection of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of persons belonging to national minorities.

Education and Mother Tongue at the Center of Discussions

The Ukrainian delegation was led by Viktor Yelensky, Chairman of DESS, while the meeting was attended by representatives of central institutions, Parliament, the Embassy of Ukraine in Romania, regional administrations and organizations representing the Romanian community in Ukraine.

The Romanian delegation was led by Clara-Alexandra Volintiru, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Representatives of central authorities, Parliament, Romania’s diplomatic and consular missions in Ukraine, as well as the Union of Ukrainians in Romania, also participated in the discussions.

An important part of the meeting focused on education and linguistic rights. Participants examined the situation of education in minority languages, the teaching and study of minority languages, the functioning of educational institutions, and cooperation between the relevant institutions of the two countries.

The discussions also addressed the representation of national minorities in public life and consultative bodies, as well as the protection of ethnic, cultural and religious identity.

Viktor Yelensky: Minority Languages Must Be Passed on to Future Generations

In his opening remarks, Viktor Yelensky, Chairman of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, highlighted the importance of dialogue between the two countries, including in the context of the war launched by Russia.

He referred to two factors which, in his view, prompt Ukraine to pay increased attention to minority rights: the solidarity demonstrated by Ukrainian citizens of different ethnic backgrounds during the war and the process of European integration.

“National minority rights must be protected so that these communities have full opportunities for a fulfilling life in Ukraine, and their cultures and languages do not become frozen museum exhibits, but instead develop dynamically and are passed on to future generations,” Viktor Yelensky stated, according to DESS.

The Ukrainian official stressed that this principle should apply both to the Romanian community in Ukraine and to the Ukrainian community in Romania.

Romania Links Minority Protection to Ukraine’s European Path

Clara-Alexandra Volintiru, State Secretary at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the importance of keeping the rights of national minorities on the bilateral agenda, including in the current regional context.

According to the DESS statement, the Romanian official also highlighted the importance of respecting minority rights in the process of Ukraine’s European integration, reaffirming Romania’s support for its neighbouring country’s European path.

European integration is also one of the priority areas included in the Strategic Partnership Declaration between Romania and Ukraine, signed in March 2026.

Romanian Language Day Officially Established in Ukraine

A separate part of the discussions focused on the preservation of linguistic identity and the use of national minority languages.

The Ukrainian side presented measures adopted to support the Romanian language and referred to the decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 12, 2026, officially establishing Romanian Language Day in Ukraine, celebrated annually on August 31.

The first official observance is taking place in 2026, with events organized in Kyiv, Chernivtsi, Odesa and Uzhhorod, in regions with significant Romanian communities.

The meeting also addressed access to information and media content in minority languages, as well as opportunities for further cooperation in this area.

Progress Reported by the Ukrainian Side

In its report on the outcome of the meeting, DESS stated that the two delegations had noted “significant progress” in ensuring the rights of the Romanian national minority in Ukraine and the Ukrainian national minority in Romania.

The parties also agreed to establish a working-level cooperation mechanism between official meetings of the Commission. This mechanism is intended to facilitate the discussion and resolution of issues concerning national minorities during the periods between formal sessions.

Broad Institutional Participation

Among the other Ukrainian participants were Igor Lossovski, Deputy Chairman of DESS; Inna Kilderova, Director General at the Ministry of Education and Science; Anastasia Hudyma, representative of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine; Erika Cernei, Head of the Culture Department of the Chernivtsi Regional Administration; and Maria Lavriuc, President of the Cross-Border Cultural and Ethnographic Association “Apșița”.

The Romanian delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Research, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Department for Interethnic Relations and Department for Romanians Abroad, as well as Member of Parliament Nicolae-Miroslav Petrețchi, President of the Union of Ukrainians in Romania.

A New Framework for Bilateral Cooperation

The resumption of the Joint Commission’s activities provides an institutional framework for continuing dialogue on education, the mother tongue, culture and the rights of the Romanian community in Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in Romania.

As of the time of writing, the Romanian side had not published its own position regarding the outcome of the August 28 meeting, with the available information based on the communication issued by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience.