Romania promises its involvement in the expansion of the southern gas corridor to new markets in Central and South-Eastern Europe
Articol de Oana Bâlă, 04 Februarie 2023, 04:01
Romania promises its involvement in the expansion of the southern gas corridor to new markets in Central and South-Eastern Europe, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said at the profile meeting in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku.
Officials from 15 countries are participating, as well as the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson.
Energy cooperation between the European Union and its member states, on the one hand, and Azerbaijan, on the other, has a strategic priority and is required by market logic, said President Klaus Iohannis, who opened, together with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev the Ministerial Meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor.
The head of state emphasized that in recent years Romania has made substantial investments in the development of gas transport capacity, but also in connectivity with neighboring countries, and noted that all these efforts offer solid options for expanding the southern gas corridor to new markets in Central and South-Eastern Europe.
Klaus Iohannis: From the very beginning, Romania recognized the important contribution that Azerbaijan and the southern gas corridor have in covering Europe's energy needs. Romania has offered the guarantee of its unbroken commitment to be part of the efforts to develop and expand the corridor to new markets in Central and South-Eastern Europe.
The Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev, reiterated the commitment to support the achievement of energy security through concrete projects.
According to Energy Minister Virgil Popescu, any proposal for an additional gas transport project in South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans is welcome, given that gas availability will be one of the biggest challenges of 2023.
He also stated that together with the Azeri, Georgian and Hungarian partners, the concrete framework for the realization of the project of the submarine electricity transmission cable through the Black Sea will be established.
Translated by: Radu Matei
