Experts from the New Strategy Center are visiting the US in Washington for a series of meetings and events aimed at presenting the strategic importance of the Black Sea region in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the need for the US Congress to pass the Black Sea Security Act, a bill that aims to develop a long-term US Black Sea strategy in multiple areas.
George Scutaru, CEO of the New Strategy Center, and Antonia Colibășanu, Senior Associate Expert at NSC and Geopolitical Futures Geopolitical Analyst, met on Tuesday, June 20 at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and Jamestown Foundation offices with US security and foreign affairs experts and presented their assessment of the Black Sea security situation, the strategic importance of the Black Sea region in the context of Russia’s current war of aggression against Ukraine, and the need for a predictable and long-term US policy dedicated to the Black Sea region. The exchange of views revealed the need for a multi-pronged approach by the US, politically, militarily, economically, together with its partners in the region, so that destabilising actions by the Russian Federation caused by large-scale military aggression against Ukraine and hybrid actions directed against NATO and the EU and its partner states, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, can be countered. NSC experts presented their assessments of the current security situation, including the hybrid war unleashed by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova, the energy stakes in the Black Sea region, and the important role Romania plays in the current strategic context.
In the evening of the same day, the Romanian Embassy in the US organised a working dinner with American officials, experts and representatives of the diplomatic corps, the theme of the discussions being the strategic importance of the Black Sea region. Together with the Ambassador of Romania to the US, H.E. Andrei Muraru, LTG George Vlad, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff and MG Remus Bondor, chief of Strategic Planning Directorate, Defence Staff, the NSC experts presented to the audience the military, energy and food security implications of Russia’s current war of aggression and stressed the strategic relevance of Romania as a strategic ally of the US on the Black Sea. New Strategy Center would like to thank the Romanian Embassy in the US for its support, as well as the representatives of the Romanian Defense Staff for their involvement and participation in some of the program meetings, as the American discussion partners appreciate the complementary nature of the opinions expressed and the expertise of the Romanian participants.