Ukraine, Moldova, Romania intend to boost cooperation
MOSCOW. July 8 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has thanked his Romanian and Moldovan counterparts for working on solutions to provide Ukraine with additional energy equipment.
He said this at a joint press conference with his Moldovan and Romanian counterparts following a trilateral meeting in Chisinau on Friday, Ukrainian media reported.
"We need to establish an energy zone without borders for gas, electricity, hydrogen by increasing output, developing energy infrastructure and using gas transportation networks more efficiently," he said.
The ministers also discussed regional cooperation in the transport infrastructure on the Danube River and in the Black Sea ports. Moldova thus said it was willing to ensure electricity supplies to Ukraine as part of the gas-to-electricity project by placing power generating units on its territory, using natural gas supplied by Ukraine for this exchange, the media quoted the Ukrainian, Moldovan and Romanian foreign ministers as saying in a joint statement.
"For this purpose, the sides will seek solutions to make the gas infrastructure commercially reliable," the statement said. The three foreign ministers also agreed to cooperate to attract international funds and assistance for implementing these projects.
In accordance with the joint document, the countries voice their willingness to work to increase the efficiency and volumes of transit for goods, primarily agricultural products, from and to Ukraine via Moldova and Romania to the Danube ports, giving priority to railroads.
The ministers also agreed that the three countries will work together to increase the capacity of the Trans-Balkan gas route. "We will work together to expand the capacity of the Trans-Balkan gas route as part of the Vertical Gas Corridor, which includes harmonizing gas quality parameters and developing green hydrogen projects using renewable energy sources," the document said.
The ministers stressed the priority significance of developing regional electricity connections, in particular, the implementation of the project for the second circuit of the 330-kV Balti - Dniester HPP overhead transmission line, 330-kV Vulcanesti - Artsiz overhead power line, 400-kV Balti-Suceava overhead power line, 400-kV Isaccea - Vulcanesti - Chisinau overhead power line, 400-kV Straseni - Gutinas overhead power line, 400-kV Suceava - Chernovtsy overhead power line and the South Ukrainian NPP - Primorskaya - Vulcanesti - Isaccea overhead power line.