Officially, they established diplomatic relations of April 26, 1879, one year after both countries achieved full independence from the Ottoman Empire.

One year later, the First World War began when Austro-Hungary invaded Serbia due to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, an ethnic Serb.

[3] During the Second World War, Romania was led to become an Axis member, which made the country recognize the Independent State of Croatia after Yugoslavia's dismantle by Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria.

Moreover, calls for Romania to annex parts of Yugoslavia, namely the ethnic Romanian villages in Morava and Danube banovinas, were made.

Understanding the nature of European geopolitics at the time, including the Tito-Stalin split, Romania and Yugoslavia had tense relations over the course of the first postwar years.

[citation needed] After Romania broke up from the Soviet sphere of influence and became fully independent, relations were retaken and became really close, Romanian communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu and Yugoslav leader Josif Broz Tito meeting more than twenty times until Tito's death in 1980.

[citation needed] Yugoslavia also became the biggest host of Romanian refugees during the last decade of communism in Romania, when it became unbearable due to Ceaușescu's ambitions and rules.

[citation needed] As the communism regime prohibited citizens of leaving the country, tens of thousands, if not even hundreds, of Romanian citizens from all across the country tried to evade Romania by illegally swimming or rowing across the Danube river into Yugoslavia, where they would be granted asylum and freedom to leave towards Western Europe, North America or Australia.

[citation needed] Modern relations between Romania and Serbia began right after the Romanian revolution and the beginning of the Yugoslav Wars.

During a two years period, between 1993 and 1995, a lot of Romanians in the villages on the Danube shore got rich by illegal means, helping their Serbian counterparts.

[5] After the end of the Yugoslav Wars, relations gradually improved, with Romania supporting Serbia's integration with the international community.

Furthermore, both the president Traian Băsescu and prime minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu were opposed and announced their support for Serbia's territorial integrity.

The complaint was denied but the Romanian Football Federation was fined 52,000 Euros and ordered to play its next home match (against Andorra) without fans.

However, ever since then, Romania intensively intervened in Serbia's accession by sending aid in forms of financial and technical means to their Serbian counterparts.

[citation needed] The 35th chapter of the negotiations between Serbia and the European Union regard the relations with Kosovo, and while some progress has been made, neither Belgrade's or Pristina's positions are clear.

[22] In the Ottoman period, many Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were built in the administrative unit Eyalet of Temeşvar, which comprised Banat and Southern Crișana which was called Pomorišje by the Serbs.

[22] In the spring of 1594, shortly after the beginning of the Austro-Turkish War (1593–1606), local Serbian and Romanian Orthodox Christians,[23][24] in the Eyalet of Temeşvar, started an uprising against Turkish rule.

[27] Ethnic Serbs in Romania have the right to study up to high school and take the baccalaureate exam in their native language.

There are Serbian Orthodox Churches with several in Timișoara (Темишвар/Temišvar), with two in Arad (Арад), Reșița (Решица/Rešica), Lugoj (Лугош/Lugoš), Ineu (Јенопоље/Jenopolje), Buziaş (Бузјаш/Buzjaš), Sânnicolau Mare (Велики Семиклуш/Veliki Semikluš), Pecica (Печка/Pečka), Nădlac (Nađlak/Нађлак), Ciacova (Чаково/Čakovo), Jimbolia (Жомбољ/Žombolj), Orşova (Оршава/Oršava), Moldova Nouă (Нова Молдава or Бошњак/Nova Moldova or Bošnjak), Deta (Дета) and Oravița (Оравица/Oravica).

There are also village churches in Cenad (Нађчанад/Nađčanad), Variaș (Варјаш/Varjaš), Felnac (Фенлак/Fenlak), Turnu (Torno/Торња), Moravița (Моравица/Moravica), Brestovăț (Брестовац/Brestovac), Sânpetru Mare (Велики Семпетар/Veliki Sempetar), Peciu Nou (Улбеч/Ulbeč), Cenei (Ченеј/Čenej), Svinița (Свињица/Svinjica), Secusigiu (Секусић/Sekusić), Moldova Veche (Стара Молдава/Stara Moldova), Denta (Дента), Saravale (Саравола/Saravola), Foeni (Фењ/Fenj), Socol (Сокол/Sokol), Baziaș, (Базјаш/Bazjaš), Zlatița (Златица/Zlatica), Pojejena (Пожежена/Požežena), Belobreșca (Белобрешка/Belobreška), Divici (Дивић/Divić), Radimna (Радимна/Radimna), Șușac (Шушка/Šuška), Berzasca (Берзаска/Berzaska), Dejan (Дејан/Dejan), Sânmartinu Maghiar (Мађарски Семартон/Mađarski Semarton) and Uivar (Ујвар/Ujvar).

[30][page needed] Starting in the early 18th century NE Serbia was settled by Romanians (then known by their international exonym as Vlachs) from Banat, parts of Transylvania, and Oltenia (Lesser Walachia).

Major cities of Serbia, such as Bor, Novi Sad, Vršac, Zaječar or Zrenjanin, also host numerous Romanians.

Unlike in Romania, ethnic Romanians in Serbia do not have the right to study in their native language, and are not represented politically.

This has led to brief diplomatic skirmishes between the two countries, including Romania's veto on Serbia's admission as a candidate state of the European Union.