Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu participated on Thursday in the first working meeting of the Bucharest 9 (B9) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Lodz, Poland, where he announced that the first High Level Conference on Black Sea Security will take place on April 13 in Bucharest, the Foreign Ministry (MAE) said.
The conference on April 13 will be organised by the Romanian and Ukrainian foreign and defence ministers, with the participation of the foreign and defence ministers of the states participating in the International Crimean Platform.
At the consultations in Lodz, the B9 ministers focused on the implications of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine for the regional and Euro-Atlantic context, "with emphasis on the need for continued strong and robust support for Ukraine and the strengthening of the transatlantic tie," the Foreign Ministry said.
In his intervention, the head of the Romanian diplomacy called on the B9 ministers to maintain increased allied attention and involvement in the Black Sea region, which is of strategic importance for the entire Euro-Atlantic area, and to strengthen transatlantic coordination.
Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania's firm commitment to continue the country's multidimensional support to Ukraine.
He said that "the aim and duty of the B9 states on the Eastern flank is to restore peace, which can only be achieved by helping Ukraine to win the war of aggression launched by Russia."
At the same time, Aurescu encouraged the Eastern flank allies to continue supporting Ukraine's neighbours, vulnerable to Russia's aggressive actions, in particular the Republic of Moldova, which is also facing hybrid threats aimed at destabilising the state and hijacking its European course, as well as Georgia.
Regarding Romania's support for the Republic of Moldova, Minister Bogdan Aurescu also referred to the need to strengthen Moldova's defence and resilience capabilities and called on the B9 allies to support these efforts.
The head of the Romanian diplomacy pleaded for further coordination, in complementarity, of NATO-EU efforts to support these states.
The Bucharest 9 Format Foreign Ministers' meeting continues on Friday and is co-chaired by Bogdan Aurescu and his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau.