MApN: Vasile Dincu, at meeting of Defence Ministers in Bucharest Nine (B9) format

Minister of National Defence Vasile Dincu participated on Monday in the meeting of the Ministers of Defence of the member states of the Bucharest Nine (B9) format, held in a video-conference system, informs the Ministry of National Defence (MApN).

The event, co-organized by Poland and Romania, was attended by the Defence Ministers of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic under the B9 Intiative, as well as British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning Patrick Turner.

The meeting was an opportunity to harmonize the positions of the B9 Defence ministers on issues of common interest in preparation for the NATO meeting on 16 June in Brussels and the NATO Summit in Madrid on 29 and 30 June.

The Romanian Minister of National Defence underlined, in context, the relevance of the future B9 Summit, hosted by Romania, on Friday, for the alignemnet of the positions of the B9 member states, in the perspective of the future Allied Summit.

Discussions focused mainly on efforts to strengthen NATO's position of deterrence and defence on the eastern flank, the adoption of the Alliance's New Strategic Concept, and the evolution of the regional security situation.

The Romanian official pointed out that the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation drastically affects the stability in our region, and the impact of the aggression on Ukraine is significant.

Minister Dincu conveyed to his counterparts that the threats and challenges to the common security and the consequences of the brutal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation require "a consolidation of the security and defence posture in a unified manner, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, as we are now in a crucial moment."

The B9 Defense Ministers have adopted a joint statement.