Press statements by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu at the trilateral meeting Romania –Bulgaria -Greece www.nineoclock.ro
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu:
Good afternoon.

I would also like to thank, first of all, our host, for the initiative of organizing this meeting, especially since the international context requires even more solidarity between the partner states that share these values. I am referring here to the tragedy that the Israeli people are going through, and what the Ukrainian people are going through. Romania strongly condemns the terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its citizens. I express my deep regret for the victims of these attacks and offer my sincere condolences to the bereaved families. We also received the news today that a Romanian citizen was killed in these attacks, and I believe that the Israeli state is entitled to defend its country with all its forces. We are on our second meeting in this format, all three of us met again in Varna after we had a meeting in Athens. Without contradicting Prime Minister Mitsotakis, I would very much like our next meeting to be held in Romania. This time, we also had as a guest the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, but he could not attend and the Minister of Energy came instead. The presence of the European Commissioners at this meeting shows the strategic importance of the Southern Corridor and the Vertical Gas Corridor. Interconnection at this time is the secret of better services, and cheaper costs for the citizens we represent, last but not least, this Southern Corridor will surely lead to the reconstruction of Ukraine. I would like to emphasize the need to build a new bridge on the Danube, between Giurgiu and Ruse, and also the need to increase navigation capacity on the Danube, the Fast Danube project, both projects together – Commissioner Vălean – we are trying, through the funds available to the European Council, to speed them up and meet the necessary deadlines. Also in the context of interconnectivity, we discussed the challenges we are facing in the energy market, with particular emphasis on the security of supply and eliminating total dependence on hydrocarbons and electricity from Russia. It’s true, it’s a chapter where we need to grant assistance. Romania has a moral duty to help the Republic of Moldova as much as possible, because, after Ukraine, it is the most vulnerable European state and that is why I am glad that all three of us endorse that, i.e. support and the start of negotiations with Ukraine, the Republic Moldova and Georgia should be on the European agenda. Last but not least, both I and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria had on the agenda the objective of solving the issue of the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area. At this moment, Romania has met all the technical conditions for over 10 years. Bulgaria’s latest efforts to close all rule of law files were completed, being recognized by the Commission. We hope to have meaningful discussions with both the Commission and the European Parliament shortly, but also with the two states that, until this moment, opposed our accession. I would not like to go into too much detail at this point, nevertheless, I maintain that it is fully unfair to put interests and domestic policy issues above the interests of the entire Europe at a time when solidarity matters most. I am firmly convinced that together we will find the right way so that Romania and Bulgaria are no longer kept in a completely unfair corner. It is not a requirement of Romania and Bulgaria, it is simply a right. We also have – and I discussed with my Bulgarian and Greek counterparts – the recent developments regarding the security of the region, a context in which I emphasized the strategic importance of the Black Sea for Euro-Atlantic security. As we well know, the Russian Federation launched attacks on the Ukrainian port infrastructures close to the Romanian border, sometimes 80-100 meters between the attacks and the Romanian border. I believe that further investment must be made and a joint strategy found within NATO to prevent such attacks in the future. I would also like to thank the Prime Minister once again for the invitation. I firmly believe that together we will be able to change the speed and pace of the implementation of the projects that we have proposed. There is certainly a need for higher speed in decision-making and in the structures behind us, so as not to miss any opportunities. The costs of the war in Ukraine have touched us all. I think it is time that, as part of a common policy, we still manage to provide some services and access to increasingly cheaper energy for our citizens.
Thank you again!
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