Ottobre 2017 - page 20

Prime Ministers Boyko Borissov of Bulgaria and Mihai Tudose of Romania Tuesday opened a new border crossing between the villages of Kajnardzha and Lipnitsa in the eastern part of the Bulgarian-Romanian border. At the opening, Tudose said that this day was very important because it marked a significant moment for the bilateral ties and was the result of many efforts by the two countries. “The more border checkpoints are opened, the easier it becomes for the population, the business, and tourism on both sides of the border, and the more we get to know each other”, Borissov said. A Kajnardzha-Lipnitsa cross-border road worth over 6 million euro has been constructed under the Bulgaria-Romania Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013. Later on Tuesday, a joint meeting of the Bulgarian and Romanian governments at the Euxinograd residence in Varna (on the Black Sea) focused on topics of bilateral interest in the sphere of economy and infrastructure, the Government Information Service said. Prime Minister Borissov noted that the traffic between Bulgaria and Romania will become easier and increase through the construction of bridges, including a second bridge between Rousse and Giurgiu, working ferry connections, new border checkpoints, and improvement of the navigation conditions along the Danube. He added that the further development of Pan-European Corridor IV, VII, and X is a prerequisite for the achievement of infrastructural connectedness, including with the Western Balkan countries. In his words, this is of significant importance for competitiveness and growth. Bulgaria and Romania are seeking joint investments for three major infrastructure projects, said Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Borissov also talked about the EU’s internal security through strengthening its external borders, and underscored the importance of Bulgaria’s and Romania’s quick entry in the Schengen area. He noted the significance of Balkan cooperation within the EU as well as the EU prospects for the countries in this region. Romanian Prime Minister Tudose described the meeting in Varna as very beneficial and said it would remain in the two countries’ history. He said that the two sides agreed to hold joint government meetings regularly. The two delegations adopted a joint declaration on the main topics covered during the plenary sitting.