Georgia, Romania Seek Deeper Economic & Political Cooperation
The governments of Georgia and Romania agreed to deepen their political, economic, energy, transit, cultural and humanitarian cooperation during Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s official visit to Bucharest.
Kvirikashvili was greeted at the Henri Coanda International Airport by his counterpart, Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu of Romania, on April 26.
Later the officials held a face-to-face meeting and discussed the key directions of Georgia-Romania relations and cooperation, as well as recent developments in Georgia’s occupied territories and throughout the Black Sea region.
The prime ministers also discussed the process of Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration and emphasized the success achieved on this path.
Grindeanu congratulated Kvirikashvili on the recent EU/Schengen Area visa waiver for Georgian citizens and reaffirmed Romania's unwavering support for Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
Afterwards, a wider-format meeting of Georgian and Romanian officials was held during which the dynamics in defense, judiciary, and internal affairs cooperation were underlined.
Special attention was paid to energy and transit relations, prospects of developing tourism, and the importance of closer cooperation between business communities to attract more investments.
It was agreed that Georgia will soon host the next meeting of the Economic Cooperation Council and a joint business forum.
The Georgian side informed the members of the Romanian government about the ongoing far-reaching reform agenda under the EU Association Agreement, emphasizing political association and economic integration with the EU as Georgia's goal.
Black Sea security and issues related to security and human rights difficulties in Georgia's occupied territories were also discussed.
The Romanian side reaffirmed its firm support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and commended Georgia's progress in the process of drawing closer to the EU and NATO.
While speaking at a joint press-conference, Georgia’s Kvirikashvili said that on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Georgia and Romania, the two countries have issued a joint declaration.
“Georgia and Romania both countries represent a natural bridge between Europe and Asia and we are actively working on the development of these opportunities. Accordingly, our goal is to maximize the use of transport and energy potential,” Kvirikashvili said.
Grindeanu said that both sides are interested in regional projects in the transportation and energy sector aimed at activating the Caspian and Black Sea Corridors.
"We have a common goal of encouraging investments and increasing the level of trade between our countries and there is a tremendous potential for both. We have decided to accelerate this process and activate bilateral economic cooperation through the involvement of business sector representatives,” the Romanian PM noted.
Within the frames of his visit, Kvirikashvili also met the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis.
Thea Morrison