Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Thursday welcomed European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen at the Government House to discuss strengthening the European Union’s profile as a global actor and its contribution to poverty eradication.

According to the Romanian Government, Ciolacu said that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, besides challenging security in the area, has also led to the disruption of global markets and supply chains. He appreciated that the EU’s economic and geostrategic diplomacy strategy, Global Gateway, is an applied and consistent response to such complex issues.

At the same time, Ciolacu said that investment in connectivity will lead to sustainable benefits globally. He highlighted Romania’s interest in Global Gateway projects with a positive impact in the EU’s neighbourhood, especially in the Black Sea region and in the Eastern neighbourhood.

He also presented Romania’s steps to develop Black Sea connectivity projects under the Global Gateway strategy, given that the Black Sea is gaining an essential strategic relevance both in terms of security for the entire European continent and in terms of connectivity as a bridge between Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

„From the perspective of improving EU connectivity with the countries in South Caucasus and Central Asia, Romanian maritime and Danube ports are an important link in streamlining the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route,” said Ciolacu.

The two officials also showed that the Global Gateway strategy and the development of connectivity are essential to strengthening the resilience of partners who have embarked on the European path and are in the process of joining the EU.

AGERPRES