MoND representatives participated in the fifth edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, organized by New Strategy Center at Bucharest, over 3rd-4th September.

The first day of the conference, State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, had an allocution during the Classic and Hybrid Challenges on NATO's Eastern Flank Panel: Building a Better Common Threats Understanding. On this occasion, the official approached the multiple hybrid threats and the importance of increasing resilience of states against multiple security threats. At the same time, the state secretary reiterated the strategic importance of the Black Sea and the need to strengthen NATO's deterrence and defence posture on its Eastern Flank. Today, there is a level of awareness on the need of conducting coherent and cohesive actions in a global context where the fundamental values of democracy are threatened by both conventional and non-conventional methods. We must strengthen the deterrence posture and be more resilient, an objective that can be reached only by staying together , the state secretary emphasized at the end of her allocution.

Also, the debates organized during ithe first day of the forum were attended Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, the chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Mihai Panait, the chef of Naval Forces Staff and Commander Iuri Covaleov, the Deputy for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) from the Military Intelligence Directorate.

The second day of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, State Secretary Cojocaru took the floor during the Panel entitled: Challenges of the New Generation Warfare. Multi-Dimensional Approaches in the Post-Pandemic Strategic Environment. During the debate that analyzed the new types of war and means of preparedness for the future threats, Simona Cojocaru stated that the strategic papers developed by Romanian in the field of security and defence, such as the National Defence Strategy, White Paper on Defence and the Military Strategy are structured in order to approach the new global tendencies. The pandemic accelerated the rhythm of the technical innovation so that resilience will have to be understood at a larger scale and with incidence in the fields such the climatic changes, critical infrastructure and the supplying chains, the Romanian dignitary concluded.

Major General Teodor Incicas, the chief General Directorate for Armaments and Major General Iulian Berdila, the chief of Land Forces Staff also took the floor during the debates organized the second day of the conference.

The Press Office