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Daily News Analysis

Bucharest Nine                                                                                                                                                

26th March, 2022 International Relations

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Context: Envoys to India of nine Eastern European countries jointly wrote an article to “acquaint the Indian public with the basic facts on the ground” about the “premeditated, unprovoked and unjustified Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The “Bucharest Nine”

  • It is a group of nine NATO countries in Eastern Europe that became part of the US-led military alliance after the end of the Cold War.
  • Organisation:
    • The Bucharest Nine or Bucharest Format, often abbreviated as the B9.
    • It was founded on November 4, 2015, and takes its name from Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
  • Significance: the B9 offers a platform for deepening the dialogue and consultation among the participant allied states, in order to articulate their specific contribution to the ongoing processes across the North-Atlantic Alliance, in total compliance with the principles of solidarity and indivisibility of the security of the NATO Member States.
  • Composition: Romania and Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
  • All members of the B9 are part of the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
  • B9 Reaction on Ukraine invasion by Russia: The B9 countries have been critical of Russia aggression against Ukraine since 2014, when the war in the Donbas started and Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/bucharest-nine-nato-countries-eastern-europe-explained-7836360/