Although Serbia unofficially opened a kind of diplomatic agency in Bucharest in March 1836, officially, the first Serbian diplomatic agency in Bucharest was established in February 1863, with Kosta Magazinović, as its first diplomatic agent. Reciprocally the first Romanian diplomatic agency in Belgrade was established on 12/24 March 1863 and the first diplomatic agent was Teodor Calimachi. In 1879, as a consequence of the independent state status, the diplomatic agencies from Belgrade and Bucharest became legations and the diplomatic agents, resident ministers. Thus on 14/26 April 1879 the Romanian diplomatic agency in Belgrade became legation, having Lascăr Catargiu as its first resident minister. In the summer of 1879 Milan A. Petronijević became Serbia's first resident minister in Romania. Later, after Romania and Serbia became kingdoms, in 1881 and 1882, their diplomatic representatives became "extraordinary envoy and plenipotentiary ministers". It was only in 1939 when the legations from Belgrade and Bucharest became embassies. However, a gradual cut-off of international relations between Romania and Serbia happened in May 1941, after Romania recognized the independence of the German-controlled Independent State of Croatia, due to Romania still being in the Axis in that time.
Embassies
Romania has an embassy in Belgrade and a consulate-general in Vršac. Serbia has an embassy in Bucharest and a consulate-general in Timișoara.
The Serbs of Romania are a recognized ethnic minority. According to the 2011 census, there were 18,076 Serbs in Romania. Serbs mostly live in western Romania, in the Romanian part of the Banat region, where they constitute an absolute majority in two communes and a relative majority in one other.
The Romanians of Serbia are a recognized ethnic minority. According to the 2011 census, there were 29,332 Romanians in Serbia, while 35,330 people declared themselves Vlachs. There are differing views among some of the Vlachs over they should be regarded as Romanians or as members of a distinctive nationality. Romanians and Vlachs of Serbia mostly live in northeastern Serbia in Timočka Krajina, in the Serbian part of the Banat region, where they constitute a minority in two municipalities and in Voivodina region. Vlachs of Timok region have no schools in maternal language.
