Bucharest 9 in the Defence Ministers Format

 

On Wednesday, September 18th, 2024, the Bucharest 9 in the Defence Ministers format took place at the Palace of Parliament, hosted by the Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvăr, and attended by representatives from Poland - as co-chairman, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia , Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. 

The talks during the two working sessions focused on the security situation in the region, marked by the growing threats of the Russian Federation, as well as on the measures to strengthen the deterrence and defence posture of the Eastern Flank, in a coherent and robust manner, from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea.

Regarding the security situation in the Black Sea region and NATO's Eastern Flank, the Minister of National Defence reiterated the fact that the Russian Federation remains the most important threat to the Allies' security, hybrid threats being on the rise. The officials also addressed the security developments generated by the Russian Federation's war of aggression in Ukraine. 

"The B9 member states are concerned about the situations generated recently by the unauthorized penetration of the Russian Federation's drones into NATO’s airspace - in Poland, Romania, Latvia, as well as about the escalation of tensions along the borders of the Alliance. We advocated, both in the consultations at NATO level and in this important regional format, for the identification of forms of coordinated response at allied level", the Minister of National Defence emphasized. 

The talks within the B9 represented an opportunity to point out a common position of the states on the Eastern Flank with regard to the measures to strengthen the deterrence and defence posture, in view of the upcoming NATO Defence Ministerial, which will take place in October.

"Collective defence remains the essential purpose of the Alliance. Providing highly trained forces and capabilities, as well as infrastructure, remain critical objectives in accomplishing this fundamental task. The development of military mobility corridors will ensure the rapid deployment of the allied forces and capabilities for the entire Eastern Flank", Minister Tîlvăr emphasized.

 

During the working sessions, attention was paid to the challenges faced by the Republic of Moldova, a state strongly affected by the hybrid actions of the Russian Federation, and the need to provide the necessary support to achieve the European integration desideratum.

Also, the participants of the B9 were also sent a video message from the United States of America, through the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence, Amanda Dory.

Minister Tîlvăr thanked all the representatives of the Bucharest 9 member countries for their presence, emphasizing, once again, the important role represented by the B9 format in promoting the security interests of our region.

 

At the end of the meeting, the B9 representatives adopted a Joint Statement that can be consulted HERE.

  

The Press Office