The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis sad the vulnerable NATO partners, especially the Republic of Moldova, should receive attention and assistance to build resilience. Moldova has been heavily affected by the war in Ukraine by the large number of refugees, by hybrid attacks. The statements were made at the, Latvia, IPN reports.
In the opening session of the B9 Summit in Riga, Klaus Iohannis said that it is necessary to focus on improving security on NATO’s Eastern Flank, especially in the Black Sea region. Thus, regional and Euro-Atlantic security and that of all the 32 allies will be strengthened. The support for Ukraine must also be continued and increased, for as long as it is needed. “Other vulnerable NATO partners, in particular the Republic of Moldova, should also receive our attention and assistance to build resilience,” stated the Romanian official.
“Russia will continue to pose the biggest security risk to our states and European security. We must be prepared to act accordingly. We, the NATO allies on the Eastern Flank, are on the front line for countering the negative effects of this devastating war,” said Klaus Iohannis.
He also referred to the support for the Republic of Moldova. “It is the NATO partner that was most seriously affected by this war in Ukraine through the large number of refugees, through the hybrid attacks and we noted very clearly that we must help Moldova because it is a partner that we want on our side,” stated the Romanian official.
The heads of state and government of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic – co-chairs of the Bucharest Format Summit – approved a statement. “We remain more determined than ever to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, for Ukraine to win. We are committed to continuing and increasing our comprehensive support for Ukrainians, including through military, financial or humanitarian means, in support of the heroic defense of their nation, their territory and our shared values. Russia bears full responsibility for its illegal, unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. There can be no impunity for Russian war crimes and violations and abuses of international law, including human rights and international humanitarian law,” runs the statement.
“We commend the Republic of Moldova for its efforts to maintain stability and advance on its European path. We will continue to further strengthen NATO’s tailored support to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, recognizing that these partners are most affected by Russia’s malign influence,” the statement also reads.
