President Čaputová spoke on Monday 10 May 2021 at the online summit of the heads of state of the Bucharest Nine (B9) which was held with the participation of U.S. President Joseph Biden, and Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General. 

The president participated in the meeting via video connection from Copenhagen, during her state visit there. The video summit agenda featured discussions regarding the 14 June 2021 NATO summit in Brussels and the coordination of positions prior to this meeting.  Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania are the other members of the Bucharest Nine.
In her speech, the president noted the important role of the B9 in strengthening NATO’s joint approach to security threats which are also sensibly perceived by members of its eastern wing.  In her words, NATO also needs to react to continuing destabilizing activities in our region, disinformation campaigns and cyber activities.   In addition to traditional threats, it should address new challenges related to the onset of digital technologies and risks connected with climate change.   

She particularly called for vigilance regarding foreign investment in building networks and critical infrastructure which could have an impact on our security. According to the president, these values must remain NATO’s foundation: “Our security begins at home, it depends on how resilient we are and how we respect the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. They provide us with an advantage over non-democratic regimes.”  

The heads of state also adopted a joint declaration, the English version of which can be downloaded here.