NATO General Assembly: The Baltic States and The Black Sea

By Casey Hatchimonji
Press Corps Writer

Members of NATO and other European countries, along with a delegate from Russia, gathered to discuss the Ukrainian Civil War and the annexation of Crimea. Their focus was on a possible resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. Other than Russia, the delegates took a strong stance in opposing Russia’s involvement in Ukraine.

Delegates proposed to increase NATO’s presence in the Black Sea. Greece expressed their growing concern over Russia’s growing presence in the Black Sea. The delegate informed the committee that NATO’s presence in the Black Sea is integral to the security of Greece. Malta aligned its position with Greece and reiterated the need for a strong NATO presence in the Black Sea. The small island nation is not a member of NATO and nor does it border the Black Sea.

The delegates from the United States, Poland, the United Kingdom, and France agreed that a larger naval presence was needed. The delegate from Sweden agreed that NATO should strengthen their presence in the Black Sea, but they should also have a presence in the Baltic Sea. The delegate informed the committee that Russia controls most of the Baltic Sea and that the Baltic countries are currently “puppets” of Russia.

Debate arose when some of the delegates expressed their concerns over the proposed increase in naval presence. The Delegate from the Netherlands expressed that the proposed idea could possibly increase tension with Russia. The delegates from Serbia, Romania, Belarus, and Armenia all agreed that any military action would have negative effects on their countries. The delegates from former Soviet countries informed the committee that, due to their countries’ economic dependence on Russia, they could not support any military action. These delegates agreed that their respective countries would need to lessen their economic dependence on Russia.

The committee continued to debate how to best resolve the conflict in Ukraine without negatively impacting Russian dependent countries. During the debate, the U.S. and the UK agreed to economically support the smaller countries that are dependent on Russia. They also agreed that a resolution would be needed and must include an increased military presence. The delegates from Romania, Serbia, Belarus, and Armenia welcomed the proposed economic support, agreeing that their respective countries would need to lessen their economic dependence on Russia. However, they agreed that economic support was welcome they would support a resolution that included an increased military presence.

More updates to come.