Security Interests of Romania in the Wider Black Sea Area

The Black Sea Region proved its strategic value in time, while today is even more important due to the geo-political evolutions in the region. Located at the crossroads of three security complexes, The Black Sea Region represents an area of strategic opportunities, characterized by a great diversity of people and cultures. In this region characterized by tensions and frozen conflicts, the responsibility for the peace and prosperity belongs, in the first place, to the border countries which, with the help from some non-state actors, could turn the Wider Black Sea Region into a stable area and into “a security producer”. Our paper assesses the geo-strategic importance of the Black Sea Region given the fact that this area represents a crossroad between three major geopolitical areas – Eastern Europe, Southern Europe and the Middle East – making this part of the old European continent the place where big transport corridors linking Europe to Central Asia meet. Our analysis will also highlight the Romania's role in the region, taking into consideration its privileged position as a NATO and EU member, which can allow it to play an active role in developing strategies in order to maximize the national security interests