site.btaFM Gabriel Confers with Victoria Nuland, B9 Foreign Ministers in New York

A meeting is organized in New York between the acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the foreign ministers of the B9 countries, including Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said Friday. 

The Bucharest Nine (B9), is a multilateral format for consultations and dialogue on security issues involving Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The forum identifies priorities for the transatlantic partnership, European security and the EU-NATO partnership.  

Among the main themes of the meeting were continued support for Ukraine, deepening security cooperation, countering hybrid anti-EU and anti-NATO attacks and disinformation, the importance of the Black Sea region, including the Three Seas Initiative. Touching on the issue of food security, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel pointed out that Bulgaria has made a difficult decision on lifting the ban on grain imports from Ukraine. "It is now important for the new action plan regulating imports of agricultural products from Ukraine to function effectively," Gabriel said. 

Better preparation to deal with hybrid threats and the sharing of experience and knowledge between partners are key. This is also the aim of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki, of which Bulgaria is already a member. Cooperation with the centre can also be sought in the context of NATO's efforts, Mariya Gabriel added. She also referred to the Three Seas Initiative, underlining the strategic importance of improving connectivity in the region.