Moscow. November 24. INTERFAX - Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Andrei Kartapolov, in response to a statement by Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu about concerns about the "Russian threat" on the border with Ukraine and on the Black Sea, recalled that several dozen NATO warships were present in the Black Sea this year.
"Having carefully studied the statements of the Romanian Foreign Minister, we would like the United States and its allies to listen to the request of Bogdan Aurescu regarding the presence of ships of non-Black Sea states in the Black Sea. After all, the head of the Romanian Foreign Ministry says that it is necessary "not to allow third players to use the Black Sea as an instrument of influence and destabilization," Kartapolov told reporters on Wednesday.
He added that the committee "would like to draw attention to the fact that only this year in the Black Sea there were several dozen warships of NATO countries that are not related to the Black Sea."
Earlier, Romanian Foreign Ministers Bogdan Aurescu and Poland's Zbigniew Rau held consultations, following which they expressed concern about the "Russian threat" on the border with Ukraine and on the Black Sea. The ministers' statements were broadcast online on the pages of the Romanian Foreign Ministry on Facebook and on YouTube.
In particular, the Romanian Foreign Minister expressed concern about "the threatening deployment of Russian forces near Ukraine and on the Black Sea."