Energy is probably the only tool, aside from traditional diplomacy, through which Romania can play a multiregional power role, not only in South-Eastern Europe, but also across the Black Sea and in Central Europe, President of the Aspen Institute Romania and former NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Tuesday.

‘A few words about the geopolitical dimension. I say this as someone who has worked in both politics and geopolitics for many, many years. Probably for our country, at a time of great upheaval internationally, in Europe and across the transatlantic space, this sector is among the very few – if not the only – areas where we have the tools and the capacity to play the big game: energy. With the rest, we try – sometimes better, sometimes worse. The military, obviously, is important. The hard security side matters. But if there is still an area where the state and strong national companies hold leverage, it is in energy. Romanian energy companies have higher market value than any other companies in our country – and there are quite a few, and they are healthy and robust. We are, at this moment, in a context where Europe continues to adapt following Russia’s brutal use of energy as a major tool of blackmail. I am glad that the Minister of Energy and the Ministry itself will host, in a few weeks’ time, the ministerial conference on cooperation in South-Eastern Europe. But energy, my dear friends, is probably the only tool – aside from traditional diplomacy – through which Romania can play a multiregional power role, not only in South-Eastern Europe, but also across the Black Sea and into Central Europe,’ Mircea Geoana told the Aspen Energy Summit 2025.

In his view, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic and Energy Corridor project will continue and is expected to reach Romania via Greece and Bulgaria.

‘Speaking of Europe and China, there is currently a project – which, in my opinion, will continue – the India-Middle East-Europe Economic and Energy Corridor, which will also reach us via Greece and Bulgaria. What I want to point out is that this represents an exceptional dimension of geo-economics and geopolitics, where we still have tools to play the big game. This Aspen forum, as always, aims to carry these geopolitical and geo-economic elements forward,’ added Mircea Geoana. AGERPRES