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212 G G FLORESCU 6

sovereignty and recognizing the rights stipulated by International law to States enjoying permanent neutrality; ensuring tbe intercourse between tbe Eomanian Principalities and Serbia on the one hand and on the other establishing relations inherent to sovereign States with other powers; determining the powers to recognize this feature of Eomanian-Serbian relations.

Thus eo-ordinated, the Eomanian-Serbian international relations gained in a short time a great importanee: “Nos relations avec la Serbie — communicated the Eomanian agent at Belgrade — sont des plus intimes. Je dois derechef le eonstater et demander h Y.A.S. a ce qu’elle attache la plus grandę importanee a ces relations qui nous rendent les arbitres de la question d’Orient. Toucher actuellement aux Principautśs, c’est mettre en question la domination turque, partout en Europę”. ²²

2. Changes in the system of international relations organs. One of the most characteristic aspects concerning the acquisition of new attributes of sovereignty is marked on the international piane, by the structural changes occnrring in the organs of international relations of the United Principalities and Serbia.

Eeferring to the visit of a delegation of the Serbian National Assem-bly who had come to the Principalities at the beginning of 1859 to recall Milos Obrenoyitsh to the throne, the minister of Foreign Affairs of Walla-chia pointed out the position of the Eomanian gOYernment toward Serbia stressing the development of Eomanian-Serbian relations : “Nous avons toujours regardś les Serbes comme nos freres et le bon accueil que rece-vront chez nous leurs envoyśs a śtó une nouvelle preuve de notre dśsir sincere de resserrer plus encore les liens d’affection qui unissent les deux peuples”. ²³

During January 1859 — March 1863, the official organs which established the contact between the two States were in continuous evolu-tion. This transitional period involved the following specific features :

(a)    the relations between the ruling prince of the United Principalities and the ruling prince of Serbia, progressively acquired the specific cha-racter of relations existing between the rulers of two sovereign States ;²⁴

(b)    kkewise, the contact between the respectiYe ministries for foreign affairs became firmer and continuous;²⁵ (c) the Serbian agency in

²²    See T, Callimaki to the Prince, Belgrade, December 17/29, 1863, MAE, vol. no. 278, sheet 28^r

²³    See Minister for Foreign Affairs of Wallachia to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Bucharest, March 16, 1859, MAE, vol 277, sheet 23^r — 24^r

²⁴    See MAE, vol no. 277, sheet 43^f, 45^r, 63^r , Library of the Academy, MS Section, Cuza Archiucs, vol No IV, sheet 80^r—81^r, 88^r —89^r, 104^r — 104^y, 155^r — 155^r, 161^r — 162^r, 185^r ; vol. no. X; sheet 267^r-269^r ; vol. no. XLVII, sheet 48^r-49^r, 50^r, 324^r, 326^r-327^r.

²¹ See MAE, vol. no 277, sheet 30^r, 31^r, 23^r-24^r; packet no. 155, file no 24.