NATO considers the Black Sea as a strategic region. This was announced on January 9 by the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a joint press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. He stated that the alliance intends to continue to strengthen its presence in the region.

Stoltenberg recalled that three NATO countries: Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania, are the Black Sea coastal states, and two states in the region: Georgia and Ukraine, are important partners of the military bloc.
He also mentioned that NATO had contributed to the opening of a naval military academy in Ukraine last year, and promised to conduct more military exercises with partner countries.