What is the first thing you think about when you hear Romania?

[-]

Empty-Pace-4228@reddit

The first and best friend that I met here in Belgium was Romanian. He and his family were extremely kind with me and he broke my prejudices on all balkaners hate the Turks and I should stay away from them.

Related to photo, he called Moldovians "traitors" and "People who are actually Romanian but pretending they are not"

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

I havent even knew there are people hating turks until much later, but only germans and french cone to mind. Except for greeks, who in the balkans hate the turks?

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

so you hate and dislike the turks in dorbuja too? it seems so.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

I just said I didn’t even knew hating turks is even a thing

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

Well, you can sense anti-Turkish sentiment everywhere in the Balkans, as well as in Germany, and so on. It also affects Balkan Turks—including those who, for instance, have never actually lived in Turkey itself.

[-]

Empty-Pace-4228@reddit

It is more common on internet.

The regions where Turkish military is present (thanks to NATO) the un-Islamic circles have a grudge against Turkey. Besides that in Romania and Bulgaria, I think most people are neutral and surprisingly those who go to Turkey for a visit come back with positive thoughts!

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

As a turist yea, but I lived half a year in turkey. The society feels very broken, especially regarding women

[-]

Empty-Pace-4228@reddit

That's very surprising? In what way? I lived in Istanbul for 16 years and never saw women being openly harassed for what they wear etc.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

The power dynamic felt very traditional, also if a woman was going home late in the metrobus, like 2 in the morning everyone in the bus would stare at them. This is what other women told me when they were coming home. Once I wanted to speak with a turkish woman in a vodafone shop which I found very attractive, me and my friend were just waiting for her to finish speaking with her client and her male colleagues continuously to ask us what we want with her, that she doesnt speak english and so onto the point where they pushed us out of the store and wanted to start a fight with us just because we wanted to speak with her. My shoes got stolen because I left them outside of the entrance of like I everyone does. When we were speaking with the owner he started punching the table and screaming that he wont pay us anything, even if he was the one who should have secured the building.

[-]

Empty-Pace-4228@reddit

It is true that male-female relationships are traditional. But still, I have to say that it is nowhere like the African/Arab standarts. It is only slightly more conservative than the Balkans. Approaching women that you don't know can get very problematic without a common context.

I'm sorry for the incident with the shoes, I never lived such a thing myself. I think being a foreigner in a country can also attract more problems since you're more vulnerable towards the natives who already know the region.

[-]

Cefalopodul@reddit

Despite the long history of conflict most Romanians have a positive opinion of Turkey (except when Erdogan tried to build mosques).

[-]

Empty-Pace-4228@reddit

Build mosques?

Afaik Romania has a Turkish minority in some region. Maybe he sent Turkish minority financial aid so that they can have a mosque? I never heard such a thing.

[-]

Cefalopodul@reddit

Erdogan tried to build the largest mosque in the Balkans in Bucharest in 2014. He had support from the prime minister but the project stopped when some guy filled the build site with pig meat.

[-]

ComfortableApricot36@reddit

Peak rascism here

[-]

ShortStuff2996@reddit

Im from romania and had a turkish kebab place near me. Best one i ever ate and the owner was always trying to engage and joke with the clients, speaking half romanian the best he could. He was such a kind and positive person.

It closed a while ago, but I would go there often and always tipped him.

[-]

Empty-Pace-4228@reddit

A Turk in Romania, a Romanian in Turkey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vSW7FU2fDA Inna stayed here for years, she became so adapted that she even wrote a Turkish song! :)

I think Inna is a common figure that both sides adore equally haha.

[-]

hades_cj@reddit

We do not hate Turks. We had a lot of war history with you but today all that is behind us.

[-]

Empty-Pace-4228@reddit

Yes those are different topics.

The first time that I came here, I was a bit anxious about socializing with Balkan immigrants.

My Romanian best friend really changed my perspective. Now, Romania is my favorite country in the Balkans!

Inshallah you'll also come visit us one day.

[-]

Administrative_Fox0@reddit

We don’t hate Turks.

[-]

Empty-Pace-4228@reddit

Racism sucks anyways.

Individuals have characters theirselves, they are not defined by their birth places.

[-]

Administrative_Fox0@reddit

Agreed. It all boils down to common sense and education.

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

That's not true, look for example at what your compatriots are writing here about Ada Kaleh, the yellow-fed Turkish island.

Furthermore, many Turks from the Dobruja region in Romania left the country and emigrated to Turkey—particularly during the years 1877–78, then in the 1930s, and in the late 1960s from Ada Kaleh.

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

That is not the point. You Romanians have lived alongside us Turks for centuries—just look at Ada Kaleh, and especially the Dobruja. The oppression that Turks faced in Bulgaria during the communist era did not exist in the same way in Romania. Even today, there are villages in the Dobruja that are entirely Turkish—where even the young people speak broken Romanian, because Turkish is the everyday language there.

[-]

Affectionate-Band-15@reddit

Difficult one with Moldavians. Historically, we are the ones that abandoned them so it would be hypocritical to blame Moldovans for being Russified.

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

Native Romanians from Romania generally have nothing against Turks, as they themselves have a small Turkish and Tatar minority in their country at Dobruja—a presence dating back to the era of the Ottoman Empire. However, I have seen many hostile comments here on Reddit directed at Turks, posted by people claiming to be Romanian who have actually lived in English-speaking countries for generations and do not speak Romanian at all. They emigrated sometime during the 20th century. Furthermore, the terms "Romanian" and "Roma" are often conflated in English. For this reason, everyone should read the following:

https://migreat.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/why-you-should-know-the-difference-between-romanians-and-romani/

[-]

tusci_@reddit

Micro Draco

[-]

tricky_di@reddit

Dracula

[-]

Just_Problem_1645@reddit

Gypsies, 3rd world country in Europe, no highways, low quality of life

[-]

Affectionate-Band-15@reddit

1,400 km of highways means no highway? There is still poverty in rural areas, but Bucharest area (for example), is richer than Berlin, Lisbon and Budapest areas, even if the wealth is badly managed and the city looks bad vs the above.

[-]

Just_Problem_1645@reddit

Everywhere else than Bucharest looks like I’m stepping back in time in rural russia tho

[-]

AnalkinSkyfuker@reddit

Now then go to IașI where you pay 2x more for water than the capital yet the salaries are lower.

[-]

Emyhatsich@reddit

Are you retarded or what?

gif

[-]

Proper_Scar_6385@reddit

Ur Hungarian or American?😂😂

[-]

No_Proof_2399@reddit

Rominimal (techno), ortodox, Bukovina, Vlad Cepeš, they stoped train with Nato bombs that are planed to be used against Serbia '99, Mndra mja (vlachs song), Made in romania.mp3 , Inna.

[-]

Jolly_Resolution_212@reddit

MAIA HIIIII MAIA HUUUU MAIA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA VREEEJŠTABREEEEJŠTAAA NUMA NUMA EEEEE

[-]

External_Green9505@reddit

That’s Moldova) but we are same nationality so it counts!

[-]

Jolly_Resolution_212@reddit

Omg really??? my whole life is a lie

[-]

rydolf_shabe@reddit

The fact that bastard in Albanian means child in Romanian

[-]

ThingCandid9553@reddit

Copil or fiu / fiica?

[-]

Kurmaya2019@reddit

Now ask him how we say hair and chicken in Albanian.

[-]

rydolf_shabe@reddit

Copil

[-]

Grand-Glove-9985@reddit

believe it or not, many words from Albanian are the same in Romanian ... I found it very-very strange.
I know that for a fact we are descendent from the outskirts of the Roman Empire, but to see those extremely striking language similarities it is odd.

Search for the topic on YT.

Another connection between Romania and Albania was back in the day when an Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga wrote a book abowt the origins of Albanian and that book was used to help Albania be independent.
here is some info from the net:

territorial exclave of Sarandë (Porto Eda), located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea

Origin of the donation: The land of approximately 1,000 square meters was donated to the Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga by King Zog I of Albania in 1931-1932, in gratitude for his contribution to the recognition of Albania's independence and for the work "History of Albania" (1919).

Entry into state patrimony: On August 13, 1934, Nicolae Iorga donated half of the area to the Romanian state, thus obtaining for the country an outlet to the Adriatic Sea.

Romanian Institute: On this territory, the Iorga House (Romanian Institute for Archaeological Studies) was built in 1937, operating intermittently until 1944.

End of possession: After World War II, the Albanian communist regime of Enver Hoxha nationalized the property, abolishing the Institute and integrating the territory into the Albanian state, from which Romania did not recover possession

[-]

RoyaleKingdom78@reddit

An isolated romance country with steppe characteristics, you cannot easily find such a sadist like Vlad the Impaler even in ottoman/turkish history. And… Romanian people look like turks more than greeks imo, I mean, I’m from western black sea and I am able to differentiate between a mainland turk and a mainland greek yet some Romanians look literally more like turks than turks themselves, I recently uploaded my pic to find a similar face and quarter of results were romanian, other quarter was persian&eastern Mediterranean and the remaining half were anatolian turks/azerbaijani. I had a DNA test and it showed no direct romanian ancestry so no wonder how Vlad acted as a Turk so professionally.

[-]

halimlmao@reddit

[-]

NitraKollak@reddit

Sebastian Stan

[-]

doors_pro_1234@reddit

dont they both have roman vocabulary?

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

To the submerged Turkish island of Ada Kaleh... home to some of my paternal ancestors.

And also to the Dobruja, Constanța, and the Tatar-Turkish-Romani community there.

[-]

Novel_Plum@reddit

Another piece of culture destroyed by communists. The island was so beautiful and unique, but that's what happens when a regime doesn't care about people.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

I think building the Iron Gates made more sense to us than keeping some isolated community alive on an island.

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

Oh, really? There were plenty of other places where that dam could have been built. But oh—many thanks for being honest. You are exactly the kind of Romanian I have already described elsewhere. Yes, your hatred of Turks was the deciding factor—I can tell that from your comment. The suffering of the population, the forced displacement—none of that matters to people like you. Do you have any idea what it was like to lose one's homeland? Do you think my grandparents had it easy in Turkey? They never got over it; my grandfather died of a broken heart at a very young age. My grandmother lived entirely in the past. You... people like you are cold and heartless.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

I never hated turks, my father is half turk half tatar. You should have move in the vicinity of the island, did the romanian authorities deported you in turkey? Or even cone in Dobrogea where the reat of the minority is.

There are many examples where authorities had to move communities in order to build stuff. Stop dramatizing it or victimizing yourself

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

im sad for you.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

It’s ok, I don’t need your empathy

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

"You don't have to. But sometimes a little respect is better than arrogance."

[-]

Comfortable_Aioli_73@reddit

Besides, last time I checked, the ottomans attacked romanians constantly in the past. So if our ancestors hated turks, this might be one of the reasons. Time has passed, what is in the past is in the past. I personally don’t hold a grudge. It’s sad that a community had to disappear because of a dam. But calling it your “homeland” it’s a little bit too much. By this logic, Dobrogea should be bigger (part of historic territory is in Bulgaria), Bucovina should be bigger (part of it is in Hungary) and so on. But as I said, the past is the past. The saddest part is that we (regular people) have to suffer because of governments arrogance and egos. Anyway…too much to write here. It’s a conversation for another time.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

Its sad that a community had to disappear indeed, but I still see the economic reason more beneficial in the long term.

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

But not for the Inhabitants of the Island itself.

All what you guys promised didnt hold water.

so they left majority to turkey end of 1960s

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

Taken that you are also a romanian, these promises weren’t fulfilled even by you. Instead you chose to run and be a victim than stay and fight.

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

What exactly are you hoping to achieve with this comment?

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

Unfortunately, I have been proven wrong here on Reddit. Many Romanians seem to hate Turks. I am not sure, however, whether these are Romanians living in Romania or those in the diaspora. Regarding the island of Ada Kaleh, specifically, I have read some very nasty comments—allegedly from Romanians—who are glad that the island was flooded. Furthermore, concerning the Tatars and Turks in the Dobruja region, many view them as remnants of the Ottoman era and do not want them in the country. You can find all these comments right here.

[-]

Affectionate-Band-15@reddit

This was not about hatred of Turks. Turks are actually viewed positively and Romanians have more bigotry toward Russians and Hungarians. Communists only care about the end result. Communities (whether Turkish or Romanian) were unimportant for them. They proceeded similarly for many other place.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

I also never heard about romanians having a hatred towards turks, I don’t know how the other dude got this impression. And I lived half my life in Dobrogea.

[-]

Affectionate-Band-15@reddit

Dobrogea is especially open to Turks, Russians and other minorities. Tulcea is an amazing melting pot and example of tolerance and integration.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

Even outside Dobrogea people view turks in a good way, maybe also because of the turkish series, people find it amazing when I tell them about this kind of stuff. Because of my family name they sometimes ask me if I am a turk and we speak a little on the matter and I see people always curious, smiling and finding it a cool thing.

The only discrimination I ever saw was regarding gypsies.

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

and why then so many turks left romania to settle in turkey? since 1877-78, then in the 1930s and then in the end of 1960s too? even after 1989 they came and settle to turkey.

think about why.....you bad comments about ada kaleh is not wondering me why.

[-]

Affectionate-Band-15@reddit

I guess the Russian on Russian hate is because the Russian in Romanian settled here to escape oppression, no? By Russian hatred I was referring more to the Russian state and its supporters.

[-]

PomegranateOk2600@reddit

Yes, probably because of the moment you mentioned. I don’t know if it is only towards the state, when I told my russian grandmother that I like a russian woman from Russia she said to forget her because russian women are bad.

[-]

Affectionate-Band-15@reddit

Grandmas know best 🤣

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

Unfortunately, I have been proven wrong here on Reddit. Many Romanians seem to hate Turks. I am not sure, however, whether these are Romanians living in Romania or those in the diaspora. Regarding the island of Ada Kaleh, specifically, I have read some very nasty comments—allegedly from Romanians—who are glad that the island was flooded. Furthermore, concerning the Tatars and Turks in the Dobruja region, many view them as remnants of the Ottoman era and do not want them in the country. You can find all these comments right here.

[-]

Cefalopodul@reddit

Actually no there weren't. The Danube's flow is not strong enough to build it anywhere else.

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

Many hold a different opinion.

And why, then, wasn't Simian Island turned into what it was originally intended to become—the site for the relocation to that island?

[-]

Savings_Dragonfly806@reddit

It almost looks like a Catholic church

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

yes, exactly...1716–1717 to 1738: Conquest by the Habsburgs during the Venetian–Austrian–Ottoman War, followed by a twenty-year period of expansion to transform it into a Habsburg fortress. However, in 1738, the island was lost back to the Ottoman Empire. The building dates from this era; it was a Catholic church constructed by the Austrians, who named the island "Karoline Island." The old mosque was destroyed during the war.

[-]

psuedoking1@reddit

Adrian Mutu

[-]

doors_pro_1234@reddit

home

[-]

Antique_Economics_24@reddit

Pickpocketing

[-]

sweetdurt@reddit

Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma nu ma iei Nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma nu ma iei Chipul tau si dragostea din tei Mi-amintesc de ochii tai

[-]

Stealthfighter21@reddit

Lately, I've been noticing some superiority complex toward Bulgaria that's quickly crashing down.

[-]

Prometheus210289@reddit

Just because some bigot disappointed you with a bad comment, you don’t have to put us all in the same room.

[-]

rendszerkiugro@reddit

Gypsies and thieves everywhere

[-]

Any_Tax_3231@reddit

Transylvania (Vlad)
Gypsies

[-]

Savings_Dragonfly806@reddit

Drum bun, drum bun, toba bate, drum bun bravi romani

[-]

RaucheSchonInSpanien@reddit

Drum bun cale bătută cin’te prinde să te …. Iubească 👊❤️

[-]

Due-Agency-1875@reddit

They look like vampires I love them

[-]

Winter_Tea_7209@reddit

Fanfare Ciocarlia

[-]

kravinsko@reddit

da dumla dumla da
da da dumla dumla da
da dumla dumla da
made in romania

[-]

Haunting-Track9268@reddit

Vastly underrated tourist destination. Great cities, beautiful countryside, fantastic food, and so much history. No, I'm not Romanian....

[-]

Senior_Strawberry_51@reddit

Dragostea Din Tei

[-]

Skt_turbo@reddit

The best woman in this world.

[-]

StarSailor_79@reddit

I have a friend who says romanian women are the brazilian women of Europe, full of curves at the right places.

[-]

Haunting-Track9268@reddit

This is true.

[-]

Alma_Mater91@reddit

This Queen! 👌😌

[-]

quake-n-doom@reddit

vampires. always will.

[-]

AogamiBunka@reddit

Hagi.

[-]

Glittering-Poet-2657@reddit

Hate them lowkey.

[-]

Emyhatsich@reddit

Your flair tells me you're a romanian who lives in Canada. Also, you have some problems

[-]

Novel_Plum@reddit

So you're depressed?

[-]

Salt-Wolverine-6367@reddit

Dracula

[-]

SomeOneOutThere-1234@reddit

Mama ta ce face?

Mama e biolog

E biolog?

Da e biolog, adică cum… și mama ta biolog

[-]

Useful-Direction-529@reddit

you know ball

[-]

Resigned1431@reddit

The fact that every other comment here is "hagi" or "gypsy" is so depressing. They make up 8% of the population but it seems like the world purposefully pushes the narrative that it's 100% for no particular reason other than fuck Romania.

[-]

Salt-Wolverine-6367@reddit

Its not though. I dont think romanians are stereotyped as “gypsy” in the balkans. In the western euro countries yes but thats because so many romanian cigans move there and cause issues with stealing in public.

[-]

Comfortable_Aioli_73@reddit

In my humble opinion, i think that we, balkans, are the perfect example that no matter where you come from, we are all human.

South Slavic peoples (Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Montenegrins) largely descend from Slavic migrations mixed with earlier Balkan populations. We, Romanians, have a Romance language from Latin influence mixed with Dacian and Slavic ancestry. Albanians are often linked historically to ancient Illyrian or related Paleo-Balkan populations. Greeks maintain continuity with ancient Greek populations mixed with later influences. Today, we often share genetic similarities, overlapping culture, cuisine, music and historical experiences. Major groups that shaped the Balkans include:

Ancient peoples like the Illyrians, Thracians, Dacians, and Greeks
Later arrivals such as the Slavs (around the 6th–7th centuries)
Romans and Byzantines
Turkic peoples during the Ottoman period
Smaller influences from Celts, Goths, Vlachs, and others

So yeah….There is no place for racism!

[-]

Early-Show2886@reddit

and the germans, the so called banat swabians, or saxony etc. settled there 18thcentury

[-]

Whole-O@reddit

I used to have negative stereotypes that you hear growing up, backward place with sketchy people, before meeting Romanians irl. Now I think they're all good, hard working people 🤷‍♀️.

[-]

TheScarletPhoenix_@reddit

Transylvania

[-]

fancywipe@reddit

Beautiful people that all wear black, everyone wears black

[-]

GK_Iam@reddit

Ayiou kayiou

[-]

bagdf@reddit

Maad in romania

[-]

Better-Yellow-4971@reddit

Bilionera, Mr Saxobeat, Sugar and Brownies, Safari

[-]

EnvironmentalPhoto73@reddit

Choke me!!!

[-]

Comfortable_Aioli_73@reddit

gif

[-]

MinimumArt8781@reddit

A man of culture I see

[-]

sbbayram@reddit

Hagi or gypsy

[-]

Novel_Plum@reddit

There are more gypsies in Turkey than in Romania...

[-]

sbbayram@reddit

might be, not in terms of percentage to whole population and its irrelevant to OP's post.

[-]

Elmalukat@reddit

Not in terms of percentage

[-]

Comfortable_Aioli_73@reddit

The sad part is that we are characterized based on gypsies. They go to other countries and steal, do illegalities and then we are the ones who are blamed for their mishaps.

[-]

Resigned1431@reddit

There are more gypsies in Bulgaria in terms of percentage /shrug

[-]

FuzzyAmbassador663@reddit

Obviously no one is mentioned gypsies because of political correctness, so I won't either, so let me say, switching sides at last moment to benefit instead of losing wars.

[-]