Helsinki Commission to Convene Black Sea Security Summit in Constanta, Romania

WASHINGTON—On the heels of the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, on July 1 the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, will convene its first-ever multilateral dialogue among key regional allies and partners on Black Sea security. At this historic event on the shores of the Black Sea, members of the U.S. Congress, senior-level government officials from the region, and key international partners will come together in a roundtable format to underscore the critical importance of the Black Sea region to European peace and security, and to establish a sustainable, collective approach to ending Russian aggression and enhancing mutual cooperation.

BLACK SEA SECURITY SUMMIT A Roundtable Dialogue Hosted by the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Friday, July 1, 2022 1:00 p.m. (UTC+3)

Constanța Art Museum Constanța, Romania

Watch Live: https://youtu.be/DZskl6-k6No

The Black Sea Security Summit plenary will feature a timely and collaborative exchange across two sessions exploring major themes pertaining to regional security challenges:

• Session 1: Confronting Russian Aggression
• Session 2: Relevance of the Black Sea to Euro-Atlantic Security

The Black Sea Security Summit will be chaired by Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Sen. Roger Wicker (MS), who will be joined by a bipartisan delegation of members of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Regional participants include:

• Minister Bogdan Aurescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania
• State Secretary Simona Cojocaru, State Secretary and Chief of the Department for Defense Policy, Planning and International Relations, Ministry of Defense of Romania
• Minister Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine
• First Deputy Minister Lasha Darsalia, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
• Deputy Minister Yordan Bozhilov, Deputy Minister of Defense of Bulgaria
• Ambassador Füsun Aramaz, Ambassador of Turkey to Romania
• Ambassador Radko Vlaykov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Romania
• MP Alexander Goncharenko, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament
• MP Kaloyan Ikonomov, Member of the Bulgarian Parliament; Chair, Bulgaria – USA Friendship Group
• Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General of NATO
• Major General Jessica Meyeraan (USAF), Director of Exercises and Assessments, U.S. European Command

Members of the media must email stuparsa@state.gov in advance to attend this event. Preregistration closes Thursday, June 30, at 12:00 p.m. (UTC+3).