Page "Mihail Kogălniceanu" Paragraph 73

Upon the war's end, Mihail Kogălniceanu and Ion Brătianu headed the Romanian delegation to the Congress of Berlin.

In this capacity, they protested Russia's offer to exchange the previously Ottoman-ruled Northern Dobruja for Budjak, a portion of southern Bessarabia that Romania had received under the 1856 Treaty of Paris.

This came after months of tension between Romania and Russia, generated over the territorial issue and the Russian claim to be representing Romania at Berlin: Kogălniceanu's envoy ( Eraclie Arion ) had even threatened the Russians with a Romanian denunciation of their alliance, and 60, 000 Romanian soldiers were prepared for Budjak's defense.

The Conference's ultimate decision ( Berlin Treaty ) was in favor of Russia's proposal, largely due to support from Andrássy and William Henry Waddington, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Additional pressures came from Bismarck.

The Russians themselves did register some setbacks by the end of the Conference.

Their demands for Romania to allow indefinite military transit through Northern Dobruja were made ineffectual by the opposition of other European states, and Kogălniceanu was able to obtain the retrocession of Snake Island.