New Strategy Center and Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) organized, on Friday, February 13, at the Munich Security Conference, a working dinner event dedicated to the strategic importance of the Black Sea, titled “Black Swans in the Black Sea: Evaluating Post-War Security in the Black Sea Region.”
Participants highlighted the major security challenges in the Black Sea region, as well as possible developments in the war in Ukraine, in the context of discussions about a potential peace agreement. They also reiterated the need to strengthen cohesion among littoral states and called for greater attention to the region from NATO and the European Union.
As an example of increased cooperation among NATO Black Sea states, speakers pointed to the trilateral cooperation between Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey on countering naval mines, an initiative that will soon also address the protection of critical underwater infrastructure. All three countries hold significant natural gas reserves and share an interest in preventing any actions that could endanger offshore critical infrastructure and resource extraction.
Freedom of navigation was another key topic, seen as vital both for connectivity projects and for Ukraine’s reconstruction. In this context, the establishment of a maritime security hub in Constanța, bringing together expertise from Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, and Georgia, would represent a concrete example of EU engagement in the region alongside Black Sea partners to safeguard freedom of navigation.
The event was attended by H.E. Oana Țoiu, Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Anatolie Nosatîi, Minister of Defense of Republic of Moldova; H.E. Zeki Levent Gümrükçü, Turkey’s First Deputy Foreign Minister; Amb. Angus Lapsley, UK Ambassador to NATO; Amb. Dan Neculăescu, Romanian Ambassador to NATO and Oleksiy Goncharenko, Chair of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced People of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, along with security experts from the United States, France, Poland, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
The dinner was moderated by Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ben Hodges, member of New Strategy Center’s International Advisory Board and former Commander of U.S. Army Europe, while conclusions were presented by Ambassador Sorin Ducaru, Honorary Chairman of New Strategy Center’s Scientific Council.
New Strategy Center is the only Romanian think tank that organizes an annual event at the Munich Security Conference, the most important security gathering in Europe, focused on the strategic importance of the Black Sea and regional challenges, thereby contributing to the promotion of Romania’s security interests and to strengthening cooperation in the region.
Photo: MSC Photographer