The second day of the Second Black Sea Security Conference began with the first panel discussion

During the first panel discussion “Joint Efforts for Safeguarding Stability in the Challenging Geopolitical Landscape” Dragomir Zakov, Ambassador-at-large for Defence and Security in the Euro Atlantic Zone, Ministry of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (former Minister of Defence and Permanent Representative in NATO); Mykola Tochytskyi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Ian Borg, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Malta; Angus Lapsley, Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); Radosław Sikorski, Minster of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland; Tobias Billström, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden, held a discussion. Prof. Zdravko Popov, President, Public Policy Institute; Editor-in-Chief, Diplomacy Journal, moderated the conference.

“Since February 2022, we have regained more than 20% of our territory, destroyed more than 40% of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, ensured the functioning of the grain corridor and sent millions of tons of grain to those countries that need it. If the international community does not respond to Russia’s aggression, if it does not fight, who will be next?” Mykola Tochytskyi stated.

“The situation that Ukraine faced is not a regional problem but a global one. Therefore, the world needs unity on this issue more than ever to restore confidence in international law and international institutions.” Mykola Tochytskyi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine mentioned.

“We need to focus on improving resilience and we must counter disinformation,” emphasized Dragomir Zakov. He added that along with ensuring NATO’s presence, we need to take care of cooperation between NATO and European countries.

“What we must do urgently is to provide Ukraine with maximum material support. And in NATO, we remain convinced that Russia cannot and should not win this war. Ukraine has to defend its democracy, its independence, and we have to use our resources to help Ukraine win,” stressed Angus Lapsley, Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), at the Black Sea Security Conference.

“Supporting Ukraine is Sweden’s top foreign policy priority for the coming years. Sweden will continue to support Ukraine to win the war and reestablish its territorial integrity,” Tobias Billström, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden, emphasized.

“Crimea is Ukraine,” he added in Ukrainian.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Ana Cristina Tinca mentioned: “Romania has been with Ukraine since the first day of the war. We continue to provide political assistance in all areas as neighbors. One of our priorities is to invest in the border infrastructure to support exports and provide Ukraine with income. Since the beginning of the war, more than 36 million tons of Ukrainian grain have crossed the border with Romania. If we take into account other goods, this amount will be much higher.”

Basat Öztürk, Director General for International Security Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye noted that the issue of security in the Black Sea is a geopolitical and geostrategic junction. It is the high seas and requires special laws regarding the passage of ships. Since 1936, the countries of the region have been using the Montreux Convention, which was effective both during World War II and now, during the war in Ukraine. Based on this convention Turkey banned Russia from navigating the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, which was an effective step and had significant consequences for the course of events in Ukraine. 

“The Black Sea is not the territorial waters of one country. It is an international sea that supports trade and economic growth for all neighbors in the region. It is the route for grain and energy trade. Also communications cables lie at the bottom of the Black Sea, connecting us all and ensuring sustainability and peace in the world. Ensuring that NATO’s strategy in the Black Sea region is operational is a single and key element of maintaining stability,” said Lasha Darsalia, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

Tobias Lindner, Minister of State, the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, during the Second Black Sea Conference stated that last year the allies talked about war ending at the same conference. But a year later, it is clear that Russia is not interested in a sustainable peace and has only increased its desire to seize Ukrainian territory and is trying to demonstrate to the world that resistance is futile. Therefore, it is necessary to increase support to Ukraine. 

“Russia provokes other states, NATO countries – this tactic requires an immediate response,” mentioned Besart Kadia, Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania.

“Such tactics require an immediate response. They describe NATO as a puppet organization under the US umbrella and present themselves as victims. I represent a region that is also sensitive. We know that Russia has been involved in destabilizing our region, using hybrid tactics in the Balkans, pressuring religious issues. We firmly believe that supporting Ukraine is our effort to ensure peace in the region. And the international community must work together,” noted Besart Kadia, Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania.

Ian Borg, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Malta also addressed the audience. 

He added that Malta continues to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and joins all initiatives aimed at providing support in times of need.

“Ukraine will also remain a priority during our OSCE Chairmanship and during our term as an elected member of the UN Security Council,” he said in a video message.