On 15 April, the Second Black Sea Security Conference of the International Crimea Platform was held in Sofia, Bulgaria. The co-organizers of the event were the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Bulgaria and the Ministries of Defense of Ukraine and Bulgaria, in partnership with the Center for Defense Strategies, Ukraine.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba took part in the opening of the conference and addressed the participants of the event with a video message.
Ukraine was presented at the Black Sea Security Conference by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mykola Tochytskyi and Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense, Admiral Ihor Voronchenko.
Delegations of 43 states and 9 international organizations took part in the event - at the level of ministers, heads of international organizations, and their deputies, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Bulgaria.
The participants discussed current challenges from Russia in the Black Sea-Azov region, caused by Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, strategies for responding to them, the impact of Russia's full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine on the geopolitical landscape and global food security, as well as possible additional steps to protect the freedom and safety of navigation in the Black Sea region.
"We need to have a NATO's Black Sea strategy. This applies not only to Ukraine, but also to the restoration of peace, security, and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. We highly appreciate the initiative of Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria to demine the passages in the Black Sea. And this is a very specific, very necessary and very useful initiative, which can become the main part of NATO's Black Sea strategy in the future," said Deputy Minister Mykola Tochytskyi.
The Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Admiral Ihor Voronchenko emphasized that the past year was crucial for security in the Black Sea region, as Ukraine has taken important steps to strengthen its defense capabilities with the help of new technologies. According to him, one of the most important changes was Ukraine's more active use of naval drones. Ihor Voronchenko emphasized that their effectiveness made it possible to change the dynamics of the war and create additional advantages for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
"Investments in the security of the Black Sea region are investments in the security of the Euro-Atlantic space, in peace and freedom in the region and Europe. We stand ready to support Ukraine in undertaking priority reforms, including in the defense and security sector, as well as establishing together with other allies, a robust, predictable, and long-term mechanism for security assistance to Ukraine by the time of the Washington NATO summit in July," emphasized the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Stefan Dimitrov.
Minister of Defense of Bulgaria Atanas Zapryanov said that active steps to demining the Black Sea are in the interests of Bulgaria and Alliance, given the serious potential and economic consequences of sea mines, their danger to communication lines of seaports and key underwater infrastructure. That is why Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey created the Task Force to counter the mine threat in the Black Sea.
All international partners are clearly aware that the Black Sea region is of strategic importance for Euro-Atlantic and world security, and therefore the liberation of the temporarily occupied by Russian Federation territories of Ukraine and the provision of freedom of navigation are the only way to restore just peace and global stability in the interests of all nations.
The Black Sea Security Conference remains an effective platform - not only for the exchange of opinions but also for the development of concrete, joint and powerful steps to support Ukraine, strengthen security in the Black Sea region and beyond.