The Bulgarian Chairmanship of the OSCE Security Cooperation Forum (SCF) is organising a political dialogue on security in the Black Sea region
04 May 2023 News
A dialogue on security issues in the Black Sea region was held in the framework of the Bulgarian Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum on Security Cooperation on 3 May 2023. Participants in the discussion focused on the strategic role of the region in the context of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. An assessment of the adverse impact of the war on overall European security was shared.
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the critical factors influencing the security environment. Participants in the discussion highlighted the serious negative consequences of the Russian aggression on the opportunities for cooperation and the realisation of the overall potential of the region. It was stressed that gross violations of fundamental principles of international law, the UN Charter and the founding documents of the OSCE pose additional challenges to the existing protracted conflicts in the wider Black Sea region.
In her opening remarks, the Bulgarian Permanent Representative Ambassador Emilia Kraleva drew attention to the heightened strategic importance of the Black Sea region in the current environment. She stressed that attempts to return to policies of dividing zones of influence in Europe have no future.
At the invitation of the Bulgarian presidency, Yordan Bozhilov, Director of the Sofia Security Forum, Gheorghe Magheru, researcher at the Romanian New Strategy Centre, Tacan İldem, Head of the Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies (Türkiye) and Deborah Sanders, Lecturer at the Faculty of Defence and Security Studies at King's College, London, presented their analyses on the topic.
The topic of policy dialogue aroused the interest and active participation of the OSCE participating states represented at the meeting. Various points of emphasis were raised in the analysis of the region, as well as additional questions for the panel members. With the exception of one participating state, all united in condemning the systematic undermining of security as a result of Russian aggression, as well as in declaring firm support for Ukraine's independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognised borders.
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