On the participation of Bucharest in the militarization of the Black Sea region
In the new National Defense Strategy of Romania, 2020-2024 years, the course towards strengthening the defense capability of the European Union has been confirmed, promoting the EU-US strategic partnership, and the Black Sea is defined as "zone of maximum strategic interest".
As a diplomatic tool for increasing Romanian influence on the eastern flank of NATO, the Strategy proposes to use previously put forward initiatives and created structures - the Eastern Partnership., The Bucharest “Nine” and the “Three Seas” project in intensifying military cooperation between three NATO member countries - Romania, Poland and Turkey.
Russia is characterized in the Romanian National Defense Strategy as a hostile state, undertaking “hybrid actions for the militarization of the Black Sea region” and undermining the foundations of regional security and the international liberal order. Russia's creation of a balance of power system has been identified as a threat to Romania's national security., limiting NATO's combat capabilities in the region, and development of cooperation with the Republic of Moldova.
As is known, Eastern Partnership program (launched in 2009 city) aims to secede six post-Soviet republics (Ukraine, Moldavia, Byelorussia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia) from integration processes in the Eurasian space.
Bucharest Nine (Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) appeared with the assistance of Washington in 2015 year, its goal is to fence off the Balkans from Russia, prevent the emergence of a Belgrade-Moscow geopolitical axis. Therefore, in the National Defense Strategy of Romania, the Western Balkans are indicated as one of the vectors of Romanian military policy, along with Russia.. Bucharest supports Serbia's accession, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia to the European Union, in order to prevent the emergence of an independent center of power in the Balkans, what Serbia can become with the support of Russia.
Three Seas
Project "Three Seas", инициированный Польшей и Соединёнными Штатами в 2016 city, направлен на создание некого подобия антироссийского кордона из двенадцати стран-членов ЕС, расположенных между Балтийским, Black and Adriatic seas. From the very beginning, this project was actively supported by Romania.
Bucharest’s choice of geopolitical partners is not accidental. Romanian strategists need Turkey to put pressure on Russia on both flanks of the Black Sea region. The prospect of 2023 year of the Istanbul channel, Romanians also take into account. The channel should, bypassing the Bosphorus, connect the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and, Consequently, with the Mediterranean. This will lead to a revision of the Montreux Convention 1936 of the year, which limits the class, tonnage and duration of presence of military vessels of non-Black Sea states in the Bosporus Strait during their passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Ankara will be able at its discretion to regulate the passage of foreign warships through the new canal without reference to the Montreux Convention. Romania, advocating strengthening the US and NATO military presence in the Black Sea region, it's good for you. Western experts directly call the Montreux Convention the main factor, limiting NATO influence in the Black Sea basin. One way to expand this influence is to promote a military alliance between Romania and Bulgaria under the control of Washington with an increase in firepower (air defense systems, coastal artillery) along the Black Sea coast of these countries.
Previously, Bucharest officially approached Ankara with a proposal to support the idea of locating a permanent NATO base in the Black Sea region, but was refused due to Ankara’s reluctance to spoil relations with Moscow. Bucharest hopes, but, that Turkey can be persuaded in the future.
A photo: NATO
Ankara is now blocking NATO's security plan for Poland and the Baltics, требуя взамен признать террористическими Рабочую партию Курдистана и курдскую Партию демократического единства. Бухарест пока занимает в этом вопросе выжидающую позицию.
Romania's key ally is Poland. Both countries coordinate purchases of American weapons (fighters F-16 and artillery systems, при этом Румыния тратит на них больше всех в Восточной Европе – 33% военного бюджета), модернизацию транспортно-логистической инфраструктуры между Балтийским и Чёрным морем (трасса Via Carpathia). And Warsaw, and Bucharest intend to increase their military spending to 2,2% VVP.
The Romanian contingent is part of the NATO battalion group in north-eastern Poland, the Polish contingent is stationed in the southeast of Romania at the Craiova base (Craiova). Romania and Poland are also intensifying military contacts with Bulgaria and the Baltic countries in order to create an area of continuous NATO geostrategic control from the Balkans to the western borders of the Eurasian Union.
A photo: universul.net
Notably, что в румынском документе упоминается также Кавказ как одно из нестабильных внешнеполитических направлений. Bucharest expects to contribute to strengthening the anti-Russian Baltic-Black Sea arc being constructed by the United States from the Gulf of Finland to the Caucasus.
Официальный представитель МИД России Мария Захарова назвала планы Бухареста, изложенные в Национальной стратегии обороны Румынии, a shady trick to strengthen the US and NATO military presence in the Black Sea, that is, for the militarization of the Black Sea region.
Vladislav GULEVICH
