10.10.2023
Bulgaria, Greece and Romania will work together to strengthen regional connectivity in all its forms. They will continue to develop their cooperation also to ensure the regional and Euro-Atlantic security in South-Eastern Europe.
This is the conclusion of the Trilateral Meeting that was held today in Euxinograd Residence near Varna on the initiative of Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Acad. Nikolai Denkov with the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Prime Minister of Romania Ion-Marcel Ciolacu. European Commissioners Margaritis Schinas and Adina-Ioana Vălean and Moldova’s Minister of Energy Victor Parlicov participated as guests. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel and ministers from the Bulgarian government, Greece and Romania joined the theme-focused discussions and the plenary discussion.
The development of transport, energy and digital connectivity between and among the three countries was at the core of the debates. “Today these problems have an extremely important supra-regional aspect related to what is going on in Ukraine and in Israel in the past few days. Europe can no longer remain divided and dependent on external factors, said the host of the meeting Acad. Nikolai Denkov.
The three Prime Ministers approved a joint declaration (view the declaration). A memorandum is to be drawn up to present the main points on whose development the countries will work. The memorandum will be followed by an agreement of the three countries to specify the commitments to the implementation of the regional connectivity projects.
As Prime Minister Acad. Nikolai Denkov said, some of the tasks are relatively short-term as for instance the transportation routes for the grain from Ukraine to the Mediterranean Sea and from there to Africa. “The implementation of other tasks will take years as they are very substantial investment projects. If we are to achieve a result in a few years, however, we have to start work literally today,” Bulgaria’s Prime Minister said.
The agenda of today’s talks included, in addition, cooperation within NATO and the advancement of the Bulgaria-Greece oil pipeline project. “We want to make the region a hub of international connectivity and green energy transmission. This requires the development of our countries’ power grids,” the Greek Prime Minister pointed out. Further, he gave prominence to the issue of the European path of the Western Balkans that “could be a lever for stability in the region.” “That prospect involves abidance by the principles of a state committed to the rule of law in the EU candidate countries. We, all three countries stand ready to help with this,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted.
The Greek Prime Minister welcomed the European Union’s initiative for a new railway corridor from the Baltic to the Black to the Aegean Sea. “This is a proof that our countries can cooperate within such large-scale infrastructure projects and absorb more European funds to be spent on projects that pertain to the whole region,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed.
Romania’s Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu emphasized the benefit of regional connectivity for the citizens of the three countries: “This will lead to better services and better prices for the people and not least, the southern corridor will help rebuild Ukraine.” The Romanian guest emphasized the need for a new Danube bridge between Giurgiu and Rousse and an increase of the shipping capacity along the Danube. Ion-Marcel Ciolacu distinguished as a positive sign from the meeting the three countries’ willingness to support the European choice of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
The European Commissioner for Transport Adina-Ioana Vălean promised the EU support for the development of the transport infrastructure in the region. “The European Union has funds through various infrastructure projects. I would be really pleased to see the three capital cities connected by a high-speed railway and we are here to help and support you for such a future,” Mrs. Vălean said.
The accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area is a top priority for both countries that have been meeting all the technical criteria for membership for years. That became clear after the meeting in Euxinograd and was once again recognized by the European Commissioner Margaritis Schinas. “The accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen will push up our collective security. This means stronger control at the external borders rather than the concentration of men and materiel at the internal borders. Both countries have made significant progress to deal with the migratory pressures; however, the supply chains in Europe have also been tested. Therefore I hope, I am even convinced, that by the end of the year we will be able to make a positive decision on Schengen and we are all working vigorously to achieve this goal,” Margaritis Schinas said.
The heads of government of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania are unanimous in the view of the strategic importance of the Black Sea in terms of Euro-Atlantic security in the region, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine. They agreed with each other about the need to promote the security within NATO.
In connection with the joint declaration on the development of transport, energy and digital connectivity between Bulgaria, Romania and Greece approved by the Prime Ministers of the countries yesterday, the Bulgarian government proposed the following vision of connectivity of the railway and highway infrastructure:
