On April 12-13 Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas is conducting a visit to Bucharest, capital of Romania. Today Minister attends the Black Sea Security Conference of the International Crimea Platform where he has underscored the importance of military cooperation in the Baltic-Black Sea region in the face of the threat posed by Russia.
The Crimea Platform is a diplomatic format of Ukraine aimed at drawing the attention of international community to the illegal annexation of Crimea carried out by Russia in 2014. The platform pulls together participants from 46 countries: Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministers, NATO and EU experts, NCOs and regional organisations. The summit in Bucharest has addressed major implications of the Russian war in Ukraine to the Back Sea region and the world.
“This conference is absolutely relevant because even when the war ends, the Russian threat will remain. It doesn’t’ matter if we are the Black Sea or the Baltic Sea region. Russia continues using military, political and economic leverage in what it sees as its sphere of influence, therefore we have to ensure the succession of an undivided and steady assistance to Ukraine through political and practical channels alike, as a sign of a European solidarity that Putin will never be able to disrupt,” says A. Anušauskas.
The current security situation in the Black Sea and the Sea o Azov regions was reviewed and possible solutions to the Russian blockade in the Black Sea was also discussed in Bucharest.
On April 12 A. Anušauskas bilaterally met with Minister of National Defence of Romania Angel Tîlvăr. Ministers discussed bilateral cooperation, the importance of continued support to Ukraine, preparation for the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius in July, and exchanged assessments of the security situation in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea regions. A. Anušauskas conveyed gratitude for the Romanian rotation of the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states.
Photo courtesy of the Crimea Platform and the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
