Declaration of the heads of state Bucharest 9 meeting - News - National Security Bureau

June 10, 2022

DECLARATION OF THE HEADS OF STATE BUCHAREST 9 MEETING

1.     We, the Presidents of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic, met today, in the Bucharest 9 Group, in preparation of the NATO Summit in Madrid. We have welcomed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. We met today at a time of an unprecedentedly worsened security environment, caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades.  Russia’s war against Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe and is causing enormous human suffering and destruction.
2.     We reiterated our strong condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine, with the complicity of Belarus and using the Black Sea as a launch pad,  which is a brutal assault on the rules-based international order, which caused one of the most serious security crisis in Europe in decades. We mourn the tragic loss of life and enormous human suffering and destruction, and pledged to bring to justice all those responsible for war crimes and atrocities. We call on Russia to change its aggressive behaviour, withdraw its forces from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, ensure accountability for war crimes and atrocities, and return to act in compliance with international law. NATO should draw the necessary conclusions regarding its relations with Russia.
3.     We reiterated our unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, its democratically elected President, parliament and government, and its people, in their brave fight to defend their homes, their country and their sovereign right to choose Ukraine’s own security arrangements and foreign policy, free from outside interference. We emphasized our continued support to Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. We also support the integration of Ukraine in the European Union. We are determined to continue and further step up our assistance for Ukraine, as a strong and democratic Ukraine is important for security and stability in Europe. We have provided protection to millions of Ukrainian refugees.
4.     In response to Russia’s aggression, NATO demonstrated that its commitment to the Article 5 of the Washington Treaty is ironclad and that unity, solidarity and cohesion remain fundamental Allied values. In this spirit, NATO activated defence plans, reinforced its deterrence and defence posture on land, air and at sea, including by increasing its presence across the entire Eastern Flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, established four new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, and strengthened NATO’s existing battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Looking to the future, we need to significantly strengthen our deterrence and defence posture towards a modern Forward Defence, in a balanced, credible, coherent, sustainable and tailored manner across the entire Eastern Flank, taking into account national specificities, in accordance with the 360 degree approach, in order to deny any adversary the benefits of aggression, and defend, contest, and prevail across all operational domains against the threats we face. We have to scale up multi-domain Allied presence and to ensure we have interoperable combat-ready forces in peacetime, timely reinforced by forces, fires and effects, enhanced command and control arrangements, strengthened air and missile defence, improved infrastructure, military mobility and a sustainable access to fuel supply chain.
5.     We agreed that we have to be ready to tackle all other types of security challenges, including hybrid, cyber and disinformation, and increase our resilience. We agreed that terrorism remains a persistent threat to us all and that enduring regional instability on the Southern Flank of the Alliance requires the continued efforts and vigilance of NATO. Instability beyond our borders is also contributing to irregular migration, which remains a serious challenge that needs our attention. The war against Ukraine also has serious implications for global food security, especially in the South.
6.     At this critical time, we underscored the importance of the enduring transatlantic bond, North America and Europe standing together as one in NATO. We commended Allied commitment to “defend every inch of NATO territory”.
7.     The Strategic Concept to be adopted at the upcoming NATO Summit in Madrid will set the path of the Alliance for the future. We expressed our confidence that the next Strategic Concept will reflect, among other developments, the new security reality created by Russia’s war on Ukraine, highlight Russian Federation as the most significant and direct threat to the Euro-Atlantic security, and renew focus on the key purpose and greatest responsibility of the Alliance – collective defence – while underscoring that NATO will continue to fulfil all three core tasks. It should also reflect the need to enhance the strategic partnership with the European Union to support global and transatlantic peace and security, including by strengthening political consultation and cooperation, emphasizing the commitment to improve military mobility.
8.     NATO’s Open Door Policy under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty has played a crucial role in enhancing Euro-Atlantic security, stability and prosperity, rooted in common values. We recall the decisions of the 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit. We welcomed the sovereign decisions of Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership and we look forward to welcoming both countries as members of the North-Atlantic Alliance.
9.     We reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. We will continue our efforts to enhance their resilience, as we recognize that their security and stability also contribute to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area. We will further enhance practical cooperation and support to Bosnia and Herzegovina as an aspirant country.
10.     We stand ready to deliver on our commitments undertaken in the Defence Investment Pledge and allocate at least 2% GDP for defence by 2024, and will further support increased common funding.
11.     We remain committed to continue meeting in the Bucharest 9 Format as a means to promote joint approaches and contribute to Euro-Atlantic security.