Romanian Parliament Speaker reaffirms “firm support” for Georgia’s EU goals, announces “stronger” economic, trade, energy cooperation

Nicolae Ciucă, the Romanian Parliament Speaker, on Monday reaffirmed his country’s “firm support” for Georgia’s European Union integration goals, and expressed his Government’s readiness to ensure “stronger” economic, trade and energy partnership with Tbilisi in a press briefing with his Georgian counterpart Shalva Papuashvili in Bucharest. 

Pointing to the “strategic” bilateral cooperation, the official stressed his Government was ready to further strengthen the existing partnership and noted cooperation in the Black Sea region and “stronger” economic and trade relations.

We should pay particular attention to widen project-based cooperation, in particular energy and connectivity projects. The green energy corridor and the Black Sea submarine electric cable are just two examples”, Ciucă said.

Speaking about Georgia’s EU aspirations and its expectations to obtain the bloc’s membership candidate status later this year, the Romanian official said Bucharest was “one of the strongest and most open supporters of the European agenda promoted by Georgia”, and added his country was the first EU member state ratifying the bloc’s Association Agreement with Georgia in 2014. 

In his remarks, Ciucă also expressed readiness to strengthen the inter-parliamentary dialogue, including between parliamentary committees, to discuss Tbilisi’s European agenda and welcomed the intention of his Georgian counterpart to sign a joint declaration to reaffirm cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two states.