President Klaus Iohannis participates in B9 Summit in Slovakia

President Klaus Iohannis will attend the Bucharest 9 (B9) Summit on Thursday, which will be held in Kosice, Slovakia, according to the Presidential Administration. 

Also attending the event will be the heads of state of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia, as well as the NATO Secretary General. 

According to the Presidential Administration, the meeting will address major topics currently on the NATO agenda, focusing on the Alliance vicinity security, including the Black Sea region, namely combating hybrid threats and strengthening resilience in the current international context. 

Other important topics will be the strengthening of the advanced allied presence, the support for the Eastern partners and for those in the Western Balkans region. 

A joint statement will be adopted at the end of the meeting which will highlight the joint assessments and objectives of the participating states in this format, including the preparation of the next allied summit scheduled for the end of this year. 

The Bucharest (B9) Format was launched at the initiative of the presidents of Romania and Poland. The first summit took place in November 2015 in Bucharest, and the second in Warsaw in June 2018. 

The B9 Format is a platform aimed at deepening dialogue and cooperation among allies on the Eastern Flank of NATO, in view of articulating their specific contribution to the Alliance's ongoing processes in full compliance with the principles of the solidarity and indivisibility of the security of all NATO member states. 

This year's meeting takes place in a special context as 2019 marks the 70th anniversary since the creation of the North Atlantic Alliance, 20 and 15 years respectively since the accession of the allied states participating in B9.