New Strategy Center organized, on September 3, 2019, a debate dedicated to security challenges in the Black Sea region – “Old and New Challenges for the Security of Black Sea Region” – at the Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland, an annual event dedicated to security and economic cooperation in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
Mr. Dan Neculăescu, State Secretary within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Mr. Mikheil Janelidze, President of the Center for European Governance and Economy and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mr. Emmanuel Dupuy, President of the Prospective and Security Institute in Europe (IPSE) – France, Mr. Mykhailo Gonchar, President of the Center for Global Studies “Strategy XXI” – Ukraine and Mr. Ryszard Terlecki, Vice President of the Polish Sejm, participated as speakers in the debate moderated by Mr. George Scutaru, Director of Development at New Strategy Center.
During the debate, the security challenges in the Black Sea region were analyzed, which deteriorated in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the imminent threat of destabilization of the entire region by Russia. There is a need for a coherent and unitary response of the Allies on the entire Eastern Flank of NATO, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and especially an increased cohesion between the Allies in the Black Sea area. At this moment, the region faces not only the classic, military threats, evident after the emergence of the armed conflict in the East of Ukraine, but is also facing a variety of hybrid threats. Political pressure, cyber attacks, misinformation operations, are all attempts by Russia to weaken the Black Sea states and undermine the cohesion of NATO states. These hybrid actions, as well as the latent threat of long-term frozen conflicts in the region, should result in a balanced NATO approach across the entire Eastern Flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea.