NATO and European leaders highlighted the importance of the Black Sea region and Euro-Atlantic security, amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, during the Black Sea Security Conference of the International Crimea Platform in Bucharest on April 13, 2023.
The conference was attended by NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană, who underlined the strategic importance of the Black Sea region for Euro-Atlantic security.
The NATO deputy secretary general highlighted NATO’s “enhanced presence in the region and the Alliance’s unprecedented support to Ukraine”. He also stated that other regional states including, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Moldova face an increased risk of Russian aggression.
Geoana said, “We stepped up our presence in the region since 2014. We enhanced our cooperation partnership with Ukraine. And this is why our footprint after the full-blown war by Russia is increasing.” He added that “We continue, and we will continue, to support Ukraine.”
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić, who also attended the conference, highlighted Europe’s support for Ukraine and its neighbors and emphasized on the need to ensure accountability. She also delivered a speech in a panel named “Lessons learned from the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and its multidimensional impact”.
The conference was also attended by the Defense and Foreign Ministers of Romania, the Defense Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, and the Foreign Minister of Moldova.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said, “The aggressor’s [Russia’s] violation of all existing international law and order principles requires us to review critical aspects of regional security. That is in the best interests of all countries in the region. We cannot rely on previous practices because they have failed.”
The participants also discussed the multidimensional impact of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine on the security situation in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov region and the world, and possible responses to existing challenges and threats.
The officials also focused on the challenges posed by Russia’s cyber and information wars for the security system in the region and the rest of the world.
