NATO chief stresses importance of Black Sea for alliance

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday underlined the importance of the Black Sea for the security alliance.

Speaking at a press briefing following his meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the capital Bucharest, Stoltenberg drew attention that the alliance has been consolidating its presence from the Baltic to the Black Sea in response to Russian aggression.

“This sends a clear message that NATO is here. We will do what is necessary to protect and defend all allies,” he said.

Maintaining that supporting Ukraine is in the interest of the alliance, Stoltenberg added: “We cannot let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin win. This would show authoritarian leaders around the world that they can achieve their goals by using military force.”

Stoltenberg also accused Putin of trying to use the winter as a weapon of war against Ukraine.

He meanwhile praised Romania’s contribution to the alliance “at this critical time.”

Iohannis, for his part, underscored the importance for NATO to have state-of-the-art weapons and rapid reaction forces to remain a credible deterrent.