Supreme Defence Council: Black Sea security climate has continued to deteriorate because of Ukraine war

The security climate in the wider Black Sea region has continued to deteriorate due to the Russian Federation's military aggression against Ukraine, which has fundamentally altered the nature and stakes of the struggle to sustain democracy at the global level, President Iohannis said in a letter to Parliament in which he sent the activity report of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) for 2023.The joint standing bureaus of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies sent the report, approved by the CSAT on 21 February, to Parliament's relevant committees."In this context, our country has continued to implement measures to strengthen NATO's posture of deterrence, defence and heightened vigilance on the Allied Eastern flank, through the development of capabilities to respond to current security challenges, as well as through actions to strengthen the country's defensive capability, while intensifying cooperation with the Alliance's member states. In 2023, the activity of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) was carried out in accordance with the priorities of national defence, national security and collective defence and aimed at reducing risks and managing threats to national security, the security of the European Union and NATO allies," the letter of the head of state reads.According to Iohannis, "the CSAT has coordinated activities concerning the defence of the country and national security in order to strengthen our country's profile as a credible, predictable and solid partner in relation to allies and strategic partners, as well as in relation to partner states in the region."   Russian spies allegedly infiltrated Romania among the refugees from Ukraine. The information appears in a CSAT report that talks about people allegedly trying to gather information about our country, military exercises and aid to Ukraine.   The report of the Supreme Defense Council of the Country, quoted by the mainstream media, shows that Romania was targeted by several spies who tried to gather information about our country. These people would have infiltrated among the Ukrainian refugees precisely because our authorities had a hard time figuring out who was fleeing the war and who had other goals in our country.   The report also reveals several objectives of these spies, such as obtaining defense and security information. There were also, says this report, attempts to obtain extremely important data about the aid that Romania offers to Ukraine.    Moreover, the people who infiltrated Romania would also have sought information about the military exercises from our country and the troops that are deployed in our country.   The CSAT report also talks about disinformation and wrong information about the Romanian Army, so that people believe that in the event of a conflict, the military would not be able to defend us. In addition, through the same strategy, the spies would also have tried to destabilize the opinion of the citizens about the leaders of the country.   The institution talks about a lot of vulnerabilities that Romania was exposed to as a result of this espionage operation. These include increasing military incidents, Russian cyber attacks and even sabotage of aid shipments to UkraineThe outlook for 2024 outlined in the CSAT report highlights that "the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, the continuation of the conflict between Israel and the terrorist group HAMAS, as well as the continued high potential for conflict in the Middle East, the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea and the South China Sea will further foster political transformations by major global players, affecting international security, political and strategic relations between major powers and the regional security climate.""Consequently, Romania will adapt its national security objectives and major lines of action to the new realities of 2024, but these will be, conceptually, synergistic with those arising from its status as a NATO member and EU member, as a strategic partner of the US. At the same time, Romania will continue to be a factor of stability in the region," the report highlights.The CSAT fundamental directions for 2024 are aimed at strengthening Romania's status within NATO in view of the NATO Summit in Washington on 9-11 July 2024, which will have as its main objective the consolidation of the Alliance's strategic defence and the consolidation of Romania's status in the European Union."Romania will continue to act consistently for full accession to the Schengen Area, strengthening the capacity for civil/humanitarian crisis management, managing hybrid threats, supporting Moldova's European path. The Romania-US relationship remains fundamental in 2024, with emphasis on military cooperation, vital for the defence of Romania's national security, on deepening cooperation in the area of regional and international security, but also on intensifying bilateral relations in other areas such as energy or civil nuclear energy," the CSAT report points out.After the report of the relevant Parliamentary Committees has been drafted, the CSAT document will be submitted to the attention of a joint plenary meeting of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.