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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday stated that Romania and the Hellenic Republic have the strongest economies in the Balkans.
"Greece went through an economic crisis, but it overcame the crisis and today, with more strength and more optimism, it is looking to the future, while playing the important role it has always played in the Balkan area. (...) Greece and Romania have the strongest economies in the Balkans, they are the countries with the most powerful economies in Eastern Europe, and I could say that our collaboration, always based on a very tight cultural tradition, plays a special role in the stability and development of the entire region," said the Greek Prime Minister, after his meeting with his Romanian counterpart Viorica Dancila.
According to the Greek PM, the communities of Romanians in Greece and of Greeks in Romania strengthen the societies in which they live.
Tsipras underscored that Greece is quite present on the Romanian business market, with Greek investments in Romania amounting to approximately 4 billion euros, almost 20,000 jobs created.
"Our desire is to increase trade exchanges as much as possible, to strengthen and encourage Greek investments in Romania and Romanian investments in Greece," underscored the Hellenic PM.
Alexis Tsipras mentioned that approximately one million Romanians visit Greece every year.
"I would like this number to grow, as Greece is an attractive tourist destination, a friendly country, especially for the Balkan countries," said the Greek PM.
The head of the Executive in Athens also said he agreed with the Romanian PM to strengthen collaboration between the two countries in the education field and to possibly cooperate in the cybernetics field.
He went on to appreciate the multilateral meetings format, while showing that these meetings not only contribute to the safety and security of the region, but also help the countries in the Balkans with their European aspirations.
"What we need to understand in an era where everything happens very fast and the energy map modifies depending on the new challenges in front of us is that both Greece and Romania remain stability poles in the region, in terms of both economic cooperation and security. In the context of this quadrilateral collaboration we must establish a development framework to the benefit of both our countries, which development, beyond the concrete fields of activity, must also bring such advantages to our countries as the creation of jobs and an increase power and better geopolitical dynamics in the Balkans. (...) We will have to extend this collaboration in the relation between our citizens, a society of citizens," the Greek official pointed out.
Tsipras specified Greece and Romania are both supporting North Macedonia's EU accession efforts and that of the other Balkan countries as well.
"We can see that the future looks very well for the Balkan states. For the Balkan region is no longer seen as second-rate region of Europe. And it must no longer be a region facing divergences, opposite stands, and we must no longer accept the imposition of the will and desire of the great powers. We must be a region where, while betting on the need for collaboration in solving our divergences in peace, the Balkan countries will give a new dynamics. We must no longer be Europe's storehouse but the engine of Europe's development, for there are very significant development and welfare gaps in Europe. (...) The challenges ahead us are big, but we will approach them successfully," concluded Alexis Tsipras.
