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Chairpersons’ Summary of Bucharest Nine Ministerial Meeting, Łódź, 30–31 March 2023

31.03.2023

B9 Ministerial Meeting

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Bucharest Nine countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic, convened on 30–31 March in Łódź, Poland, to assess the implications of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine for the European and regional security. The meeting was attended by  the NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning.

Based on the successful outcome of the B9 Summit that took place in Warsaw on 22 February, the Foreign Ministers of the Bucharest Nine countries concentrated on:

  • the deteriorating security situation in Europe and our actions aimed
    at strengthening the security of NATO’s Eastern Flank, as well as our political and practical support to Ukraine;
  • the ongoing strategic adaptation of NATO to the current and future challenges in the context of the forthcoming NATO Ministerial Meeting on 4–5  April and the Vilnius Summit on 11–12 July;
  • perspectives for increased NATO-EU cooperation in line with the third Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation adopted in January 2023.

Taking into account our today’s and yesterday’s discussions, we note that the B9 countries will:

  • act towards the full and timely implementation of all decisions adopted during the 2022 Madrid Summit and actively engage in preparations for a substantive outcome of the 2023 Vilnius Summit, particularly when it comes to a new baseline for NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, including forward defence and enhanced Allied military presence in the B9 countries;
  • continue to present an unwavering support to Ukraine in its fight to defend against Russia’s brutal aggression. The participants will continue their military and non-military assistance to help Ukrainians repel Russia’s aggression and restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity;
  • work towards strengthening the transatlantic link, stressing
    the importance of the continued US presence in Europe, in particular on the Eastern Flank;
  • look forward to welcoming Finland and Sweden as NATO Allies as soon as possible;
  • firmly support NATO’s Open Door Policy, including through enhancing practical and political strategic alignment between NATO and Ukraine;
  • continue a discussion on the European security, with Ukraine and Republic of Moldova as important elements of its future architecture;
  • support Republic of Moldova’s resilience against Russia’s malign influence and defence capacity building;
  • present a unified position with regard to condemning Belarussian support for Russia’s military actions and the decision of deployment of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia in Belarus;
  • work towards the development of NATO-EU cooperation aimed
    to strengthen the security of the Euro-Atlantic area, in particular in the context of Russian aggression .

The B9 Ministers stood united demonstrating the unity of NATO’s Eastern Flank countries. The meeting confirmed that our countries are determined to work together to strengthen the whole Alliance, to reinforce its deterrence and defence posture and to continue our support to Ukraine.

 

Zbigniew Rau                                                     Bogdan Aurescu
Foreign Minister of Poland                            Foreign Minister of Romania

 

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