At the second Black Sea Summit in Sofia, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s prediction that Ukraine’s neighbors would not come together.
Blinken participated via video link in the meeting, organized by the foreign ministries of Bulgaria and Ukraine in cooperation with the Defense Strategies Center of Ukraine.
“Putin thought Ukraine’s neighbors would be divided, but he was wrong.” Blinken said at the conference.
“Friends in the Black Sea region can count on the United States”, he said, stressing the need for Western support to strengthen Kiev’s military capability.
NATO has already announced its intention to expand its presence in the Black Sea region. It is planned to build a base with 10,000 soldiers in Romania and another with 5,000 in Bulgaria.
“Our friends in the Black Sea region can count on the United States to make the region safer, richer and more united.” said the US Secretary of State, noting that “we are working with Bulgaria to combat foreign disinfestation”.
The importance of security in the region was emphasized by the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.
“We need to strengthen security in the Black Sea, which is vital for Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey and Romania. he told the conference.
“Only the defeat of Russia and the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine will guarantee stability and peace.” “The Black Sea must be a sea of NATO, peace and stability”, Kuleba added.
Stefan Dimitrov, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs for the day, also spoke at the conference. He said that investing in the security of the Black Sea region is the most important thing to create a Euro-Atlantic space for peace and freedom in this region and in Europe.
Acting Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov also assured “Support for Ukraine will remain central to the caretaker government’s defense policy”.
He also announced that Turkey has already ratified the memorandum to establish the Black Sea Mines Action Group (MSM Black Sea), in which Bulgaria and Romania will also participate.
The three countries work together to ensure the safety of shipping on Black Sea trade routes. The Bulgarian Minister of Defense explained that the sea mines task force between Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey has already received the green light and that Bulgaria can start the practical implementation of this agreement.
The joint measures will have a positive impact on both shipping and tourism in the region, Zapryanov said.
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2024-04-16 16:35:49
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