B9 condemns Russia

Leaders of the nine NATO members in Central and Eastern Europe, Romania included, have firmly condemned Russias war against Ukraine at the Bucharest 9 summit held in Bratislava

România Internațional, 07.06.2023, 13:50

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.

(bill)