Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia Agree On More Efficient Interconnections

Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia declared their support for more efficient interconnections. The four countries signed a document recording common political intent to further integrate their gas markets. 

‘The Parties to this document hereby declare their support for the implementation of interconnection and substantial bidirectional capacity of existing infrastructure for natural gas supply on the territory of the Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and the Slovak Republic and for joint efforts to seek new sources and routes of diversification’ reads the document signed on Thursday. 

Ministers of the four countries convened on the Joint Declaration in Riga, where representatives of several European countries attended the Eastern Partnership Summit.

“Azerbaijan is a strategic partner for Bulgaria and we are ready to constructively participate in finding a mutually satisfactory model of relations with the EU. I hope the desire of Belarus to develop closer ties with the EU becomes irreversible, which would allow it to more broadly use the opportunities the Eastern Partnership has to offer," Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borrissov said, as reported by a note released on Friday. 

According to European institutions, the meeting in Riga focused on energy cooperation. Leaders from the EU, EU countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine attended the Summit and agreed to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in energy.

‘Summit participants signed a Declaration which reaffirms their interest in strengthening energy security, sustainability and competiveness, as well as boosting the diversification of supply’ reads a communiqué released by the European Commission.

Several Russian newspapers wrote that Eastern Partnership registered increasingly divergent positions and growing tensions. 

Finally, in his speech in Riga, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko said that the country was struggling for peace in the entire Europe.

“We are fighting for Georgia, Moldova, Armenia and Belarus – for their opportunity of becoming European countries and sharing the same values and principles,” Poroshenko said on Friday.