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NATO's eastern-flank allies discuss ways to protect critical infrastructure

14.10.2022 15:30
Poland’s defence minister on Friday met with his counterparts from fellow NATO eastern-flank countries to explore ways to better protect critical infrastructure in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine, officials said.
Polands Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak (fifth from right) attends a meeting of defence ministers from NATOs Bucharest Nine (B9) eastern-flank countries, in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday, October 14, 2022.
Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak (fifth from right) attends a meeting of defence ministers from NATO's Bucharest Nine (B9) eastern-flank countries, in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday, October 14, 2022.Twitter/Polish Defence Ministry

Mariusz Błaszczak spoke to his colleagues from the Bucharest Nine (B9) group of countries at the headquarters of the NATO alliance in Brussels, Belgium, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

The meeting was also attended by US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, according to officials. 

Błaszczak, who also serves as a Polish deputy prime minister, told reporters afterwards: “We talked mainly about the situation in Ukraine, about what lessons can be learned from the war that is taking place in Ukraine, about what lessons can be learned from Russia’s attack on Ukraine.”

He added: “One of the lessons is that the security of critical infrastructure must be ensured."

Nord Stream leaks ‘didn’t happen by accident’

Błaszczak told reporters: “It is beyond doubt that the recent explosions in the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea didn’t happen by accident.”

Support for Ukraine

Błaszczak went on to say: “We are focusing above all on cooperation in supporting Ukraine, on cooperation in ensuring security.” 

He added that the get-together also focused on "the security situation on NATO's eastern flank and the modernisation of the armed forces."

He wouldn’t be drawn on the details of the B9 talks, saying they were “confidential,” but told the media that the meeting "discussed cooperation to maintain security," including the security of critical infrastructure, Polish state news agency PAP reported. 

Belarus aiming to ‘destabilise Poland’

Błaszczak told reporters that the meeting also discussed "the destabilising actions of Alexander Lukashenko’s Belarusian regime."

He said: "I reminded my colleagues once again about the threat of attacks coming from the territory of Belarus, both the attacks on Ukraine, and the attacks of a hybrid nature that targeted Poland in the autumn of last year."

He added: “There are continued attempts to force people who have been invited to come to Belarus, to cross illegally into Poland.”

“Without a shadow of a doubt, this is a tactic designed to destabilise Poland,” Błaszczak said, as quoted by the PAP news agency.

The Bucharest Nine (B9) group of NATO's eastern flank allies is made up of Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, and Slovakia.

Friday is day 233 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, dziennik.pl