Minister Teodora Genchovska participates in the Bucharest Nine meeting in Bratislava
31 March 2022 News
“NATO's New Strategic Concept should take into account the latest security threats facing our countries and have an adequate impact on defense effectiveness and deterrence. Enhanced political resilience is also needed”. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodora Genchovska in the Slovak capital Bratislava, where the Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries in the B9 format (Bucharest Nine) took place today.
The B9 Allies discussed the challenges and upcoming decisions for the Madrid Summit (29-30 June 2022), focusing on Russia's military invasion of Ukraine and the future of NATO-Russia relations. The focus was on the Alliance's next Strategic Concept, strengthening its deterrent and defense capabilities and strengthening its Eastern flank. A special session was devoted to the possibilities of providing additional support to the Ukrainian side, during which a message of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba was broadcast.
The host of the meeting, the Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Ivan Korčok, summed up at the closing press conference that our freedom in 1989 was neither free nor guaranteed once and for all; events in Ukraine directly affect B9 and the Alliance as a whole, especially the security of its eastern flank; energy security is already a matter of defense and depends on our determination to diversify, all of which must be reflected in the future Strategic Concept of the Alliance, which will be adopted at the Madrid Summit.
During the meeting of the foreign ministers of the B9 format countries, Minister Teodora Genchovska held a bilateral meeting with Karen Donfried, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. The two discussed current issues of the strategic dialogue between Bulgaria and the United States. The current security situation in the Euro-Atlantic area, as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were also discussed.