ForMin Aurescu attended NATO session: He highlighted strategic importance of Black Sea for Euro-Atlanic region

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, on Wednesday, on the last day of the NATO meeting of foreign ministers, in two working sessions attended by a series of Alliance partners, in which context he highlighted the strategic importance of the Black Sea for the Euro-Atlantic security and drew attention to the need to strengthen the coherence of the Eastern Flank. According to a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the sessions was dedicated to the Black Sea region and provided an opportunity to exchange views on security developments and NATO's role in this area, in terms of ensuring effective deterrence and defence, as well as partnership type of relations. "Minister Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the deterioration of the security situation in the Black Sea region, caused by the increase of the Russian military presence and the increasing number of hybrid actions. He pointed out that the efforts to implement measures to strengthen NATO's deterrent and defence posture in the Black Sea must continue, for the full implementation of all agreed measures. In this regard, Minister Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the strategic importance of the Black Sea for Euro-Atlantic security and drew attention to the need to strengthen the coherence of the Eastern Flank," reads the release. Minister Aurescu also underscored the need to continue to closely monitor security developments in the region, including protracted conflicts in the Black Sea area, which have the potential to generate instability and reactivate, as has recently been the case in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Thus, he showed that there is need for the Alliance to pay more attention to the issue of protracted conflicts, which have an impact on Allied security, requiring a more consistent approach at the level of international organizations, especially the EU and NATO," the same press release says. The same source stated that the heads of diplomacy from Georgia and Ukraine also participated in the discussions. The meeting was an opportunity to assess the reform efforts and plans envisaged by the two partners, as well as to discuss opportunities for further cooperation and allied support for Georgia and Ukraine. "With regard to Georgia and Ukraine, the head of Romanian diplomacy called for continued support and assistance needed to strengthen defence capabilities and increase resilience, including in tackling regional hybrid challenges," the press release shows. During the other session held on December 2, the allied foreign ministers had an exchange of views on China, which was also attended by the foreign ministers of the Asia-Pacific partner countries (Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand), as well as those from Finland, Sweden and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrell. "The talks focused on the implications of increasing China's role at the international level, including in areas of direct relevance to NATO and its member states. The Romanian foreign minister stressed that NATO's priority goal must remain to promote democratic values and allied interests, such as the one of strengthening the resilience of the member states. In this context, he highlighted the importance of Transatlantic coordination between like-minded partners, so as to maintain the international system based on democratic rules and principles. Moreover, Minister Bogdan Aurescu encouraged an increased coordination between NATO and the like-minded partners, in what concerns he relation to China," according to the statement. In the same context, the head of the Romanian diplomacy also expressed the need for the Alliance to focus on alternatives for the development of major strategic infrastructure and interconnection projects and evoked the positive role of the projects promoted under the Three Seas Initiative in increasing resilience. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Mihai Simionescu, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia)