The 10th and latest edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum kicks off in the Romanian capital of Bucharest on Tuesday.
The event, organized by the New Strategy Center -- a Romanian think tank founded in 2015 -- brings together various active and former officials, as well as numerous experts and representatives from academic and business circles, over the next two days for a series of substantive discussions.
Comprising 46 panels to discuss a number of topics concerning the Black Sea and Balkans region, including security, energy, defense and technology, the forum is being held under the patronage of Romanian President Nicusor Dan.
The forum takes place on the margins of the latest summit of the Bucharest Nine, an organization comprising Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, which will also take place in Bucharest on Wednesday.
The upcoming summit is one of four major themes that will be addressed during panel discussions, the other three themes being the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, transatlantic cooperation, and technological challenges generated by AI.
According to a concept and panel description on the event's website, it will seek to gain a better understanding of the security needs of regional states, strategic connectivity corridors, and the links between the Arctic, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, among other issues.
Speaking at the event's opening panel session, Romanian President Dan praised and thanked the efforts of the event to find and propose solutions to the challenges voiced.
He stated that Romania, at the international level, is consolidating its position and trying to boost security in the Black Sea region, NATO's eastern flank, and Western Balkans. It also tries to bring Moldova, Ukraine, Western Balkans, and the EU closer together, Dan added.
He also argued that they are witnessing times with multiple challenges and that, in this context, states that think alike should collaborate in these circumstances. He went on to say that this is the goal of the discussions at the Bucharest Nine summit and will be the main topic of the NATO summit in Türkiye's capital Ankara in July.
"I'm convinced that we will be able to express our solidarity in all these forums and we shall be able to remain objective. This means investment in defense, it means interoperability and a transatlantic partnership that is effective," he added.
