Romania and Bulgaria to host European maritime security hub

The new hub will be located in Constanta and Varna, the two countries’ main ports. The locations will also facilitate connections with European and NATO bodies, and “other Black Sea countries that are not Russia.”

The interim minister said Romania aims to learn from the Baltic states’ experience in coordinating maritime security, even though the situation in the Black Sea is different and more complex.

The official also pointed to Romania’s effort to develop new military capabilities and protect energy flows in the Black Sea region.

“The Black Sea, in particular, is the area we are focusing on and which is also at the center of our discussions with US institutions, because this is the highway, or rather, I would say, the waterway, of the future,” Țoiu also said, cited by Mediafax.

The Romanian minister also mentioned naval cooperation between Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey in the field of mine clearance and said that an expansion of cooperation to protect critical infrastructure had been agreed.

“As regards new military equipment, in Romania we also produce maritime drones and vessels that themselves have anti-missile capabilities. And this is a Romanian-American production line. And we see potential for this in the future as well,” Țoiu said.

Moreover, Țoiu spoke about investments in infrastructure that can have both civilian and military use, such as the EUR 2 billion going to a highway connection to Moldova. The Constanta Port is also a priority, with Romania seeking to increase its capacity and strengthen surveillance and protection capabilities.

“As you have seen, we have also had drones that reached the vicinity of Constanta Port. Therefore, there is a focus on procurement there, to have better analytical awareness of what is happening and a better capacity to protect it,” Oana Țoiu said.

The minister argued that the risks in the region have increased particularly due to the effects of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, and that the sustainable solution for regional security involves supporting Ukraine and the peace process until the conflict comes to an end.