Romania, Poland and Latvia fear Russian hybrid operations
The presidents of Romania, Poland and Latvia issued a joint statement on June 11 expressing concern over Russia's joint operations.
The statement was made when the leaders of the three countries attended a summit of nine countries on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - also known as the Bucharest 9 (B9) group - in Riga, Latvia.
“We are deeply concerned about Russia’s recent dangerous hybrid operations in Allied territory, which pose a threat to our security... We will act individually and collectively to counter these operations, strengthen our resilience, and continue to coordinate closely to ensure the Alliance and its allies are ready to deter and defend against hybrid operations or attacks,” the joint statement said.
The leaders of Latvia, Poland and Romania also pledged to continue to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea. To achieve this goal, the B9 will need to increase defense spending and invest in their defense industries.
Countries on NATO’s eastern flank accuse Russia of using tactics ranging from sabotage and cyber attacks to illegal migration to foment instability. Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations.
The B9 group of countries was created in 2015 at the initiative of Poland and Romania with the aim of strengthening NATO's eastern flank. The group also includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia — all current members of the European Union (EU) and NATO.
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