The Black Sea remains the focus of NATO concerns, Alliance representatives have said.

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According to military experts, the Black Sea region is a hot zone right now. Since the launch of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, fighter jets and drones of the two warring sides constantly overfly the area. In the annexed Crimean Peninsula, or a little further to the west, Ukrainian territories are under the control of Russian occupation forces. Not far from Odessa, the biggest port on the Black Sea, the pro-Russian Transnistria has been de facto a breakaway region in the Republic of Moldova, self-proclaiming its autonomy in the wake of an armed conflict which killed hundreds of people, that ended with the intervention of Russian troops on the side of the rebels. Also on the Black Sea and also following a Russian invasion, Georgia in turn lost control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Pundits say Western powers are uncomfortable with the conflict in Ukraine and the frozen conflicts in the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, all fueled by Moscow. 

For this reason, the Black Sea region is of great strategic importance for NATO, the NATO deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană said in Constanța, the biggest Romanian port on the Black Sea. A former ambassador in Washington and Foreign Minister two decades ago, when Romania was allowed to join NATO, Deputy Secretary Geoană pays frequent visits to Romania, where according to opinion polls he holds good chances of winning next year’s presidential election. Goeană never leaves before addressing the media and giving assurances that NATO will continue to pay special attention to this area and take measures to protect the interests, citizens and economies of Allied states. More recently, Mircea Geoană visited the „Mircea cel Bătrân” Naval Forces Academy. Previously, he visited neighboring Bulgaria where he had a meeting with Prime Minister Nikolai Denko and the army leadership. The NATO official also visited the NATO multinational battle group. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Bulgaria, Mircea Geoană insisted that assistance for Ukraine must continue. Russia will use the upcoming winter as a weapon, which is why we have to continue to provide Ukrainians with everything they need to stay strong on teh battlefield and have a stronger position at the negotiations table, Mircea Geoană said. Part of this assistance is the inauguration of the F-16 European Training Center at the 86 Air Base in Fetești (south). The center will be an international hub F-16 training addressing pilots from Romania, allied and partner states, including Ukraine.

(Bogdan Matei, Radio Romania International)

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