EC President: We can say that both sides of the Black Sea have never been closer

The Agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary on the Strategic Partnership in the field of energy development and transport will connect the two shores of the Black Sea and could transport electricity to the Republic of Moldova, the Western Balkans and Ukraine, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said, on Saturday, in Bucharest, told Agerpres.

" Since the beginning of the Russian war, we have decided to abandon Russian fossil fuel and diversify our options towards reliable partners in the energy field, such as those present at this table. And it is working. The European Union has been able to offset the reductions in Russian gas. But we're not just talking about managing a new geopolitical situation. It's about creating a future for us in terms of clean, accessible and safe energy sources, and these are the forms of renewable energy," said the head of the European Commission.

She said that this project will connect the two shores of the Black Sea and further to the Caspian Sea region, both in terms of digital communication as well as energy.

The electric cable under the Black Sea presents multiple opportunities. This project could bring considerable benefits to Georgia, a country with a European destiny. It could turn the country into an electricity hub and integrate it into the EU electricity market . The cable under the Black Sea could transport electricity to our neighbors in Moldova and the Western Balkans and of course to Ukraine. It will help to rebuild the Ukrainian energy system and to rebuild the country, stressed Ursula von der Leyen.

She concluded that, in this context, we can say that both sides of the Black Sea have never been closer.

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciuca, and the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, are signing the Agreement on Strategic Partnership in the field of green energy development and transport.