Financiarul

Speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies Roberta Anastase told a meeting on Friday in Bucharest of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organisation (BSEC) that an integrated energy transport network is required for the Black Sea zone in order to capitalise on the region’s potentials.

‘The countries in the Black Sea region should focus on improving economic cooperation in the current economic context, particularly for establishing an integrated energy transport network,’ said Anastase.

She mentioned that a common energy policy and tighter cooperation to develop maritime transportation are some answers to the economic crisis currently affecting the planet.

Chairman of the Romanian Senate Mircea Geoana pointed out that the Black Sea could become a hub for trade between Asia, Russia and Europe, provided that the states in the region overcome their frozen conflicts and historic rivalries and capitalise on their strategic role and geographical location.

‘The Black Sea region could become a new silk road, because it provides a link between Asia, Russia and the Caucasus, on the one hand, and Western Europe, on the other, but the ongoing economic crisis could affect stability of the region, where most of the economies are emerging economies, there are frozen conflicts and phenomena linked to human trafficking and organised crime,’ said Geoana.

He added that it is time for the countries in the Black Sea region to forget about geopolitical competition, precisely for the region to be able to develop itself economically, because such competition sometimes preclude projects for common development in the Black sea region.