President Klaus Iohannis will participate on Tuesday in the Bucharest 9 (B9) format summit, which will take place in Riga, Latvia, where he will plead for increased attention to the security situation in the Black Sea region and for the continuation of support to the most exposed states in the region, such as the Republic of Moldova, a press release sent on Monday by the Presidential Administration, reads.

The head of state will co-chair the summit together with the president of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, and the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda. The event will also be attended by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The summit of the Bucharest 9 format states takes place one month before the NATO Anniversary Summit in Washington, which marks the 75th anniversary of the Alliance’s founding. The leaders will have the opportunity in Riga for an in-depth exchange of views on the major objectives and main results expected for the Washington Summit, with a focus on strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture on the Eastern Flank, as well as on intensifying support for Ukraine.

The agenda of the discussions will thus aim to continue the implementation of the allied decisions adopted at the most recent NATO summits, including in terms of investment and spending commitments for Defense, as well as the multidimensional support provided to Ukraine.

The president of Romania will plead, in this context, for increased attention to the security situation in the Black Sea region, adapted to recent developments, and to the strategic importance of this area for the security of the Allies, which was enshrined in NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept. The head of state will also reiterate the need to continue the support measures for the most exposed partners in the region, such as the Republic of Moldova, the Presidential Administration also reads.

AGERPRES