Bulgaria, Romania to further enhance bilateral connectivity: presidents

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev and his visiting Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis here on Wednesday said their countries would further enhance bilateral connectivity and business ties.

"The better connectivity between Bulgaria and Romania but also in the region as a whole is extremely important for our bilateral relations," Plevneliev said at a joint press conference.

Building a modern energy infrastructure and connecting the national gas and electricity networks of the two neighboring countries is a common strategic priority that was reaffirmed during the bilateral talks earlier on Wednesday, Plevneliev said.

The realization of the Southern Gas Corridor and interconnections with neighboring countries are a strategic priority for Bulgaria and Romania, Plevneliev added.

In the short term, this is the only possibility for Southeastern Europe to improve its energy security, Plevneliev said.

Improving the connectivity along the Danube is extremely important, and the two countries will work to build new bridges, hydropower complexes, roads, railways and any form of connectivity, he added.

Plevneliev also said that bilateral trade and economic cooperation has been constantly improving, and currently Romania is among the top three most important trade partners of Bulgaria, together with Germany and Italy.

In 2015, the volume of bilateral trade reached the record high of 3.7 billion euros (some 4.155 billion U.S. dollars), Plevneliev added.

Iohannis echoed that the positive trend in bilateral trade continues, and probably this year it will reach even 4 billion euros.

The economic relations between the two countries could be strengthened through the implementation of projects in energy, transport, infrastructure, regional development, information technology and communications, as well as education, culture and the environment, Iohannis said. Endit