Minister Daniel Mitov held talks with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu
24 April 2015 News
Minister Daniel Mitov held a meeting today in Craiova with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu. The Foreign Minister is part of the Bulgarian delegation, led by the Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, which participates in a joint meeting between the governments of Bulgaria and Romania.
Daniel Mitov and Bogdan Aurescu welcomed the positive development of the bilateral relations based on the principles of good neighborliness, shared European and Euro-Atlantic values, and mutual interest. They praised the work of the High-Level Cooperation Council and expressed confidence that the established practice of holding intergovernmental meetings will deepen and contribute to the more effective presentation of common to both countries positions on a number of issues within the EU, NATO, and the regional cooperation.
The top diplomats of Bulgaria and Romania discussed a wide range of issues, including the Juncker plan, the accession of the two countries to the Schengen area, cooperation within NATO and regional formats (BSEC, RCC, and SEECP), and the developments in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and the relations with Russia, the European perspective of the Western Balkans.
The talks of the foreign ministers focused also on energy cooperation. Bulgaria attaches high priority to the financing of investment projects aimed at building an Energy Union and guarantee affordable, secure and sustainable energy, said Minister Mitov. He emphasized that the country relies on support for the construction of gas interconnectors, which are of strategic importance for the whole EU.
According to the Bulgarian first diplomat, the security of gas supplies in the EU, diversification of sources and delivery routes is of a paramount importance. This can be achieved only through the construction of all planned energy projects in accordance with the European legislation. Combining our efforts in support of these projects will not only be a concrete expression of European solidarity, but also a real contribution to the establishment of a European Energy Union, Daniel Mitov said.
Minister Mitov expressed Bulgaria’s support for the gradual construction of a European Energy Union. We support the five dimensions as proposed by the European Commission, and we see them as closely interrelated building blocks of the future framework. He emphasized that there is a need for further joint efforts to reduce Europe's energy dependence, improve energy security, and guarantee affordable, secure and sustainable energy for the citizens.
Main priorities for Bulgaria are diversification, infrastructure development and integration of energy markets in the region of Southeast Europe. The time is right to make immediate strategic efforts in the region of Southeast Europe in order to show EU solidarity in practice, Minister Mitov said. It is necessary to gradually complete the projects already started and speed up the construction of strategically important projects of European interest.
The two foreign ministers also discussed the cooperation in the field of transport and environment. Daniel Mitov emphasized the importance of implementing strategic investment projects with high added value in these two areas.
Daniel Mitov and Bogdan Aurescu together with the energy ministers of Bulgaria and Romania – Temenuzhka Petkova and Andrei-Dominic Gerea, signed a Joint Declaration to promote regional cooperation in the energy field.
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