Geopolitical Mărțișor: Increased Relevance
Yevhen Mahda, Executive Director of the "Institute of World Policy"
Mărțișor is a celebration of the arrival of spring, observed on March 1 in Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and several regions of Ukraine. A year ago, I proposed adding a geopolitical dimension to this tradition. Since then, the need for such optimization has only grown.
New challenges and the high level of turbulence in international relations should push official Kyiv to demonstrate its ability to strengthen regional security. Both the war against Russia and Ukraine’s potential necessitate this. Building good neighborly relations is one of the important and realistic tools for enhancing regional influence.
Thus, the format of a Geopolitical Mărțișor could be established by the states that recently joined the EU and NATO (Bulgaria and Romania) and those aspiring to EU membership (Moldova and Ukraine).
All four countries share the Black Sea basin and face various challenges. Ukraine is waging war against Russia, Bulgaria experiences significant political turbulence, and Romania and Moldova will hold complex presidential and parliamentary elections this year. Establishing an additional mechanism for strengthening positions and conducting regional consultations seems more than appropriate. It is worth recalling that during the Warsaw Pact era, Bulgaria was one of the primary ammunition producers (and is now restoring its capacities). Romania is regarded by NATO as an active player on the Alliance’s eastern flank, with a significant military base being developed in Mihail Kogălniceanu. Moldova will eventually have to abandon its formal neutrality—this is the logical trajectory of regional developments.
At this stage, the objectives and activities of the Geopolitical Mărțișor format could include:
- Strengthening security in the Black Sea region amid Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
- Establishing a joint military unit (such as a land brigade or naval flotilla), modeled on the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade named after Konstanty Ostrogski, leveraging Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine’s existing cooperation.
- Supporting the European integration of Moldova and Ukraine, providing effective assistance to post-Soviet republics as they begin EU accession negotiations.
- Countering Russia’s negative influence on elections in Moldova and Romania, combating fake news and disinformation about the war in Ukraine.
- Promoting environmental protection of the Dniester and Danube rivers and developing joint approaches to addressing Black Sea ecological issues.
- Creating conditions for improving the investment climate in Moldova and Ukraine, while enhancing prosperity in Bulgaria and Romania.
- Strengthening regional energy security through participation in the Three Seas Initiative.
- Coordinating positions on Black Sea usage, trade, transit, and services.
The proposed quartet is not merely a festive initiative but a pragmatic mechanism capable of effectively countering the turbulence in international relations. Therefore, consultations on its establishment should begin as soon as possible.