Grigore Gafencu 1893 yılında Romanya Barlad da doğdu. İlk tahsilini İsviçre’de, orta ve yüksek eğitimini Romanya’da tamamladı. 1919 yılında Romanya’da matbuat ajansının kurulmasına öncülük eden Gafencu, Argus ve Timpul gazetelerini kurdu. 20 Aralık 1938 de Romanya’da Milli İttihat Hükümetinde Hariciye Nazırlığına (Dışişleri Bakanlığı) tayin edildi. 1939 yılının Haziran ayında Türkiye’yi ziyaret eden Gafencu’ya eşi Esmee Gafencu, Romen üst düzey bürokratları ve yedi Rumen gazeteci eşlik etti. İlk olarak İstanbul’a gelen Gafencu ardından üç gün sürecek olan seyahati için Ankara’ya hareket etti. Romanya Hariciye Nazırı İstanbul ve Ankara ziyaretleri sırasında Cumhurbaşkanı İsmet İnönü, Başbakan Dr. Refik Saydam ve Dışişleri Bakanı Şükrü Saraçoğlu ile görüşmeler yaptı. Gafencu İstanbul ve Ankara’da resmi törenlerle karşılandı. Bu çalışmada Romanya Hariciye Bakanı Grigore Gafencu’nun İstanbul ve Ankara’da yapmış olduğu görüşmeler değerlendirildi. Gafencu’nun ziyareti Bükreş ve Ankara arasında ki dostluk bağını daha da kuvvetlendirdi. Gafencu gerek İstanbul’da gerekse Ankara’da Türk milletinden samimi bir hüsnü kabul gördü.

Grigore Gafencu was born in Barlad, Romania in 1893. He completed his primary education in Switzerland and his secondary and higher education in Romania. Gafencu, one of the leading pilots of Romania, fulfilled his military service in the First World War. In 1919, Gafencu pioneered the establishment of a press agency in Romania and founded the newspapers Argus and Timpul. On 20 December 1938, he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in the National Union Government in Romania. In June 1939, Gafencu visited Turkey, accompanied by his wife Esmee Gafencu, senior Romanian bureaucrats and seven Romanian journalists. Gafencu first arrived in Istanbul and then travelled to Ankara for a three-day visit. During his visits to Istanbul and Ankara, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Prime Minister Dr Refik Saydam and Foreign Minister Şükrü Saraçoğlu. Gafencu was welcomed with official ceremonies in Istanbul and Ankara. In this study, the meetings of the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Grigore Gafencu in Istanbul and Ankara were evaluated. This visit, which took place on the eve of the Second World War, was of great importance for Turkey-Romania relations and the Balkan geography. The visit of the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs as the president of the Balkan Treaty attracted the attention of the whole world, especially the Balkans and Europe. Before travelling to Turkey, Gafencu visited Berlin, Brussels, Paris, London, the Vatican and Belgrade. The Romanian delegation stayed in Ankara for three days and was hosted at Ankara Palas Hotel. The Romanian Foreign Minister and his entourage visited Gazi Institute of Education, Ankara radio, Master School, Police Institute, Agricultural Institute and Çubuk Dam in Ankara. After visiting the Ethnography Museum, the delegation laid a wreath at the grave of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and paid homage. The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs shared the results of his contacts with European and Balkan states with Şükrü Saraçoğlu, which led to an exchange of ideas between the two foreign ministers. Gafencu's visit further strengthened the bond of friendship between Bucharest and Ankara. Arriving in Turkey on 11 June 1939, Gafencu had his last meeting with President İsmet İnönü in Yalova before leaving Turkey on 14 June. Gafencu received a sincere acceptance from the Turkish nation both in Istanbul and Ankara.