Leaders of the nine NATO members in Central and Eastern Europe, Romania included, have firmly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine at the Bucharest 9 summit held in Bratislava.
Heads of state and government from Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia, who have convened in Bratislava as the Bucharest 9 format, have vehemently condemned the brutal, unjustified and illegal war Russia has been waging on Ukraine. In the joint statement issued during the summit, which has also been attended by NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, the participants say that Russia must cease its ongoing attacks against the civil population and infrastructure, and put an end to the deportation of children and sexual violence and unconditionally pull out its troops from the Ukrainian territory. At the same time the participants have called on Belarus to cease its complicity in the Russian aggression and pledged to hold the aggressors accountable for their crimes by setting up a proper legal mechanism.
According to Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, the security of the countries in NATO’s eastern flank must be strengthened and the summit in the Slovakian capital has reconfirmed that the B9 countries are taking action for strengthening the security of the Euro-Atlantic community as a whole.
Klaus Iohannis: We, the countries in the eastern flank, are the frontline in the process of countering the disastrous effects of this war with multiple implications in terms of security, in the humanitarian area, as well as in the fields of economy, food and energy production. Russia will continue to be the biggest threat to European and Euro-Atlantic security. And for this reason we all understand the need for consolidating our national defence and for the creation of a robust and effective defence.”
Iohannis has specified that Romania will stay together with Ukraine as long as it is needed and that Bucharest is staunchly supporting the Euro-Atlantic integration prospects of the neighboring state.
At the same time, Iohannis and the other B9 leaders have hailed Finland in its new capacity as a NATO member and have reconfirmed the support granted to Sweden to become a fully-fledged member as soon as possible, which they believe, will further strengthen the Alliance
The B9 participants have also proposed the setting up of a joint center for research, training and education with Ukraine, based in Poland, as well as a more significant and comprehensive multi-annual support package aimed at strengthening Kyiv’s defence capabilities including through the implementation of NATO standards.
Last but not least, the B9 leaders have condemned the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper, which they described as a war crime as the flood created in the aftermath is presently threatening thousands of people. There is no information on the perpetrators, but Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for the attack. The B9 format was established on November 4th 2015 in Romania’s capital city Bucharest upon the initiative of the presidents of Romania and Poland, Klaus Iohannis and Andrzej Duda respectively.
(Sorin Iordan, Radio Romania International)
