President Klaus Iohannis affirms Russia will continue to pose „the greatest risk to European security” and NATO states must be prepared to act „accordingly”.

„Russia will continue to represent the greatest security risk for our states and for European security. We must be prepared to act accordingly! We, the NATO Allies on the Eastern Flank, are in the front line of countering the negative effects of this devastating war,” Iohannis told the Bucharest 9 (B9) Format Summit in Riga, Latvia on Tuedsay.

He also said that the Eastern Flank states that are part of this format must be prepared, „as dramatic regional developments continue to increasingly demand full attention and coordination”, to act to bring added value to the alliance as a whole.

„We need to act for more solidarity, dialogue and cooperation. These is and must remain the foundation of our common strength and resilience. Through our shared vision and actions, the B9 format has contributed to strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. We must continue on this path!,” added the Romanian president.

„We must remain focused on improving security on NATO’s Eastern flank, especially in the Black Sea region. In this way, we will strengthen regional and Euro-Atlantic security and that of all 32 allies,” Klaus Iohannis stressed.

President Klaus Iohannis also called for continued and increased support for Ukraine for as long as needed.

„Other vulnerable NATO partners, in particular the Republic of Moldova, should also receive our attention and assistance in building resilience,” he went on to say.

In his speech, the Romanian head of state noted the presence, for the first time, at a B9 summit of Sweden and Finland, countries that have recently joined NATO, but also the presence of the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg.

„I am glad that we are meeting here today, and I must say that I am very glad that the Eastern Flank is now stronger, it is longer. And Sweden and Finland are well represented here, as is NATO at the highest level. What can go wrong? Nothing,” Iohannis said.

The Bucharest 9 (B9) format is a Romanian-Polish initiative dedicated to security issues specific to NATO’s Eastern Flank, which brings together allied states in the area. It was launched in 2015, in Bucharest, at the joint initiative of the presidents of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and Poland, Andrzej Duda, in response to the deteriorating security situation following the illegal annexation of Crimea.

AGERPRES