Diplomatic relations between the two countries date back to 1880, when mutual legations were opened, although contacts between France and Romania's precursor states stretch into the Middle Ages.

[1] Between 1579 and 1583, King Henry III supported Petru Cercel in his bid for the Wallachian throne.

[3] Diplomatic relations started at legation level on 20 February 1880, with Mihail Kogălniceanu appointed as the first plenipotentiary minister of Romania in Paris.

[1] French foreign policy in the 1920s and 1930s aimed to build military alliances with small nations in Eastern Europe to counter the threat of German attacks.

The annexation of Romanian territory through the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact caused distrust of then-ruling King Carol II, and following his forced abdication, the far-right military leader Ion Antonescu took control of the country.

Romanian factories were unable to produce flawless cars or meet delivery deadlines.