Defence Minister, invited to the tenth edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum

On Wednesday, May 13^th, Minister of National Defence, Radu Miruță, participated in the panel "Defence through Infrastructure: From Military Base to Dual-Use Infrastructure", organized as part of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, which takes place in Bucharest on May 12^th and 13^th.

 

In his speech, Minister Miruță emphasized that the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine has changed the way Europe views the role of infrastructure. "It can no longer be considered exclusively as a tool for economic development and civil connectivity, but also as an essential element of defence readiness, force mobility and support capacity in crisis situations. We must approach defence intelligently, investing in parallel both in military capabilities and in infrastructure, because an armored vehicle or any heavy combat equipment loses its value if there are no bridges or roads to provide it with the necessary mobility in combat," the minister said.

 

The Romanian official mentioned, in this regard, the relevance of the Military Mobility Package, especially with respect to the creation of a military mobility space at the European Union level by 2027, as well as the financing instruments intended for dual-use infrastructure, including the SAFE program, through which 4.2 billion euros are allocated for road infrastructure.

 

Minister of National Defence highlighted that this approach is also found at the level of the North Atlantic Alliance, with emphasis on consolidating and supporting infrastructure, on Host Nation Support and developing military mobility capabilities.

 

Referring to Romania, Minister Miruță stressed the importance of the Black Sea region, the connectivity with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as the need to consolidate transport, energy and communications infrastructure, as essential elements for strengthening the Eastern Flank, supporting Ukraine and increasing regional resilience.

 

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The Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum is organized by the New Strategy Center and is dedicated to the fields of defence, security and international relations regarding the extended Black Sea and the Balkans. This year's edition is organized under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, H.E. Nicușor Dan, alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defence (institutional partners), and the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, as academic partner.

 

The forum brings together diplomats, military, experts and representatives of companies from the European Union and NATO member states, as well as partner countries. The event focuses on five major topics: European security and global order, Russia's war against Ukraine, transatlantic cooperation, technological challenges, and the B9 Summit.

The Press Office