Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday following a trilateral summit in Varna that together with the prime ministers of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov and of Romania Marcel Ciolacu "and the very useful" participation of European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, "We reaffirmed the excellent relations between our countries. We agreed to deepen our cooperation at bilateral and multilateral level and in the wider region."
The Greek premier condemend the terrorist attack against Israel and said that Greece, with Europe and all civilized world, condemns the pictures of horrors with firing against civilians. "We recognise Israel's right to self-defence, but this massacre should end as soon as possible," he underlined.
Speaking of energy collaboration between Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania, Mitsotakis said, "Greece plays and hopes to play a central role in the energy interconnectivity between our countries. As of 2022, we have quadrupled the exports of natural gas to our neighbours in the north and we transfer fuel up to Moldova, shielding the energy security of all southeastern Europe. The floating unit for storage and regasification will be inaugurated soon in Alexandroupolis. We will continue to invest in Renewable Energy Sources. We want to turn Greece into a hub of international interconnection and distribution of green energy, starting with Bulgaria and Romania, something that demands the strengthening of the electricity interconnections."
Mitsotakis also pointed out that they agreed that the European perspective of the western Balkans may become a lever of stability in the region.
Mitsotakis also underlined that Athens, Sofia and Bucarest's positions converge something depicted in the common declaration that they co-signed.
PM Denkov
On his part, hosting country PM Denkov condemned the terrorist attack against Israel and then referred to the results of the trilateral summit in Varna, stating that the future of the countries of the region depends on this interconnectivity. The three countries he noted should work together to turn the region into a model example for Europe and for neighbouring countries.
PM Ciolacu
Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu underlined that the participation of the three countries proves the strategic importance of the south corridor, underlining the need for the energy independence of Europe from the Russian oil. Ciolacu also referred to to Moldova, which was represented at the summit by its energy minister, and stated that Romania has a moral obligation to support the Republic of Moldova because following Ukraine, Moldova is the most vulnerable country.
Commissioner Schinas
Finally, EU vice president Margharitis Schinas referred to Europe's revival, specifically in its south. "For the first time, we see the south holding a leading role as there are now strong governments in these countries".
The European Union and the way it reacted in the pandemic and the war in Ukraine proved its unity, Schinas said, now by condemning the war in Israel. He added that an extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers will be held on Tuesday in Brussels to discuss what is happening in Israel.
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That’s a wrap on the 2023 iMEdD International Journalism Forum!
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