The Black Sea and Western Balkans region is of strategic interest to Romania, as well as to NATO, President Nicu\u015for Dan said Tuesday in Bucharest, noting that the stronger Europe becomes, the stronger the North Atlantic Alliance becomes. He participated in the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, organized by the New Strategy Center, which brought together officials, diplomats, military personnel, experts, and representatives of companies from European Union and NATO member states, as well as from partner countries.<\/p>\n
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The head of state noted that, during this period of multiple challenges, countries with similar approaches to security and defense must work together. Nicu\u015for Dan:<\/p>\n
\u02baWe are facing a period of multiple challenges. Like-minded countries must collaborate; that is the goal of the B9 discussions, that is the goal of the discussions in Ankara at the NATO summit in two months, and I am optimistic that, in each of these forums, we will express solidarity and succeed in achieving the goals we have set for ourselves. This means investments in defence, interoperability, and an effective transatlantic partnership.<\/em>\u02ba<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also at the forum on security in the Black Sea and Balkan regions, Acting Foreign Minister Oana \u021aoiu noted that Romania is among the Eastern Flank countries that have recorded the highest number of airspace violations, particularly due to incidents involving Russian drones flying over Ukraine. Therefore, she said, Bucharest needs to focus its security investments on the most vulnerable areas: the Danube and the Black Sea. In fact, the Black Sea security hub project proposed by Romania must be, in Oana \u021aoiu\u2019s view, a priority in the European Union\u2019s next budget allocation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the other hand, during the panel discussion titled \u201cChallenges and Opportunities in Ukraine\u2019s Reconstruction: Romania\u2019s Role in This Strategic Project,\u201d the head of the Prime Minister\u2019s Office, Mihai Jurca, stated that the Romanian government has established an action plan to support the reconstruction of its neighbouring country, which is expected to be finalized by the end of this month. Equally, Bucharest must ensure that Romanian and international companies, as well as the institutions involved, have access to the appropriate infrastructure to contribute to Ukraine\u2019s recovery, the Prime Minister\u2019s representative added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In short, Romania can and must become the main logistics hub for Ukraine\u2019s reconstruction, as stated by Ionel Scrio\u015fteanu, State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport, given its ideal geographical location for this purpose. He noted that Bucharest began investing in transportation infrastructure from the very first days of the war in Ukraine in 2022, focusing on ports, the railway system, customs checkpoints, and road infrastructure. At the same time, authorities are holding talks with the local administrations to develop logistics and industrial zones near the new infrastructure investments. (MI)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Black Sea and Western Balkans region is of strategic interest to Romania, as well as to NATO, President Nicu\u015for Dan said Tuesday in Bucharest, noting that the stronger Europe becomes, the stronger the North Atlantic Alliance becomes. He participated in the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, organized by the New Strategy Center, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":1016867,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[],"coauthors":[115219],"class_list":["post-1016889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n