site.btaTrilateral Meeting of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania Held in Sofia

Bulgaria, Greece and Romania held a trilateral meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Sofia on Friday to discuss current matters related to their development and their contribution to the European Union's advancement. Energy infrastructure, support to Ukraine and the European perspective of the Western Balkans were on the agenda of the meeting, Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova told a subsequent news briefing. She said this format of meetings was established 30 years ago.

In the field of energy, the session looked at the short-term and long-term challenges confronting the region. According to Petrova, important decisions in this domain should be made jointly.

Greece's Alternate Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis stressed the need to shake off energy dependence on Russia. He noted the importance of the recent inauguration of the Greece-Bulgaria Natural Gas Interconnector.

Varvitsiotis finds it essential to send out the message that Greece, Romania and Bulgaria will pool their efforts to help Ukraine recover after the war. He said the escalating events in Ukraine over the last few days are a cause for concern and it is necessary to consider more concrete measures within the EU with respect to the war.

Romania's Secretary of State for European Affairs Daniela Grigore Gitman commented on the need to step up the admission of the Western Balkan countries to the EU. "I suppose we are all aware that Europe is not strong without the Western Balkans," Gitman said. She also spoke in favour of Ukraine's and Moldova's EU entry. According to her, Romania supports the development of the energy projects in the region.