Page 194 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

180 COSTICA PRODAN

German interests far the area which started to assere itself. The turning point was
the visit made by Emperor Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdul Hamid in autumn 1898 <3>.
Last bue not least, I would like co point out that after 1878 Romania and Ser-
bia won their independence. Both states, crossed by the Danube, involved into the
policy of the Great Powers as regards the navigation o n the Danube, asserting and
defending their own. interests. I should not neglect che emergence of che autono-
mous principality ofBulgaria, with its northern border running along the Danube.
ButI wilÌ confine to dealing with Romania's stand to the regulation of navigation
on che Danube, the Black Sea and through the Straits over 1878-1898.
In 1878, Russia wanted to regain its status of a riparian state and it cook sou-
thern Basarabia and the Chilia branch under ics administrative contro! and exten-
ded ics Pontic Iittoral •. Its goal was to reach the Straits and Constantinople.
Austria-Hungary further promoted its policy of trying to eliminate che inter-
national contro! over the upper course of the Danube, seeking after 1878 to extend
ics dominating position towards the Lower Danube. lts rivalry with Russia for the
mouths of the Danube made Austria-Hungary to back the sine die protraction of
the Europea n Commission of the Da nube ••. According to che Russian view, this
commission (independent from the authority of the Romanian State, on whose cer-
ritory the Danube Delta is situated) was co exercise attrihutes of regulating and
controlling the navigation on the Lower Danube. The Dual Monarchy also endea-
voured co obtain the monopoly over che works at the Iron Gates, by excluding the
riparian states, Romania and Serbia.
Great Britain opposed Russia' s new to the Danube, seeking co keep the T sa-
rise Empire as far of the Straits and Constantinople as possible. In this way, Britain
tried to maintain the Straits closed for the Russian fleet and to protect its own,
Near East and Middle East interests in the Mediterranean eastern basin. Great Bri-
tain also demanded the righe for her fleet to pass through the Straits co the Black
Sea as a compensation for acknowledging the annexation of port Batum by Russia.
As a matter of fact, ali negotiations prior to the Berli n Peace Conference cook piace
while Constantinople was being threatened by-land by the Russian troops and by
sea by the British fleet <4>.
As for Germany, over 1878-1898 it did not have particular interests in che
area. ·lts efforts-·were-mainly-directed to appease-t~ Austrian-Hungarian-Russian
rivalries for the Danube, che Black Sea, and the Straits, to maintain alliances bet-
ween che three empires, while France was co remain in che political-diplomatic iso-
lation staged by von Bismark (5).
Romania, which had just won her independence, made huge efforts to reduce
che immixtures of rhe Great Powers in che area and co obtain her rights as a ripa-
rian independent state • • •.
The Berlin Peace Conference included six articles to regolate navigation on
the Danube (arti cles 52 through 57 of the Treaty). They essentially stipulated: che
freedom of navigation; the dismanding and pulling down of ali forts on the banks