Polish, Romanian presidents to co-chair B9 summit in Bucharest

The President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will arrive in Bucharest on Tuesday ahead of the Bucharest Nine (B9) Summit, scheduled to take place on Wednesday at Cotroceni Palace, official sources said.

Karol Nawrocki will be received by the President of Romania, Nicusor Dan, in the second half of the day, and the two leaders will hold a joint press conference. Mark Rutte will attend a working dinner with the two heads of state co-chairing the B9 summit, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The B9 Summit will also be attended by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who will be accompanied by his wife, Olena Zelenska. She will have a joint programme with the partner of the Romanian President, Mirabela Gradinaru.

Volodymyr Zelensky will deliver remarks at the end of the B9 working session.

According to the same sources, the high-level meeting aims to underline the need to strengthen transatlantic relations, and a Joint Declaration will be issued at the end of the summit highlighting this aspect, as well as attention to NATO's eastern flank, the threat posed by Russia in the region, and support for Ukraine.

President Nicusor Dan will host the Bucharest Nine (B9) and Nordic Countries Summit on Wednesday at Cotroceni Palace, attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, presidents and ministers.

The event will be co-chaired by the President of Romania and the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, under the general theme 'Delivering More for Transatlantic Security', according to the Presidential Administration.

According to the same source, the following will participate in the B9 Summit:

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte;

President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda;

President of Estonia Alar Karis;

President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel;

President of Latvia Edgars Rinkevies;

President of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini;

President of Finland Alexander Stubb;

Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen;

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy;

United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno;

Minister for Defence of Sweden Pal Jonson;

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway Espen Barth Eide;

Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland Benedikt Arnason;

Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to NATO, Ambassador Nikolay Milkov;

Hungary's Ambassador to Romania, Kissne Hlatki Katalin.

The official reception of heads of delegation will take place in the morning, followed by the plenary session of the Summit. The President of Romania, Nicusor Dan, and the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, will open the session.

There will also be a working lunch, and afterwards the President of Romania, Nicusor Dan, together with the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, will deliver joint press statements.

The Bucharest Nine, established in 2015 by Romania and Poland, brings together the countries on NATO's eastern flank: Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.