The strategic location of Bulgaria for the development of transport, energy and digital connections was discussed by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies Hristo Alexiev and the Ambassador of the United States of America Kenneth Merten at a meeting today in the building of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev presented to Ambassador Merten the efforts of the Caretaker Government to achieve diversification and energy independence of Bulgaria. "The Bulgarian State has taken a series of measures for alternative supplies of natural gas. After the launch of the intersystem connection with Greece, Bulgarian consumers and businesses can use Azerbaijani natural gas at a good price. The contract we signed with neighboring Turkey to ensure access to their LNG terminals is also very important for Bulgaria," Hristo Alexiev pointed out.
Regional cooperation projects of Bulgaria with Greece and Serbia in the field of energy were also discussed. Ambassador Merten welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of cooperation for the construction of the Alexandroupolis - Burgas oil pipeline at the beginning of the current year. "Bulgaria should be proud of what it has achieved in the field of energy, because very quickly you managed to secure alternative supplies of energy sources", Ambassador Merten noted.
Regarding transport connectivity along the North-South Axis, the importance of a new bridge facility on the Danube River between Bulgaria and Romania was highlighted. Ambassador Merten noted that a new bridge could also be important from the point of view of cooperation within the NATO, as well as in view of the future process of helping to rebuild Ukraine.
The other priority goal for Bulgaria is the development of the East-West Axis, Deputy Prime Minister Alexiev pointed out. In this context, he presented the advantages of the Sea2Sea multimodal corridor connecting the Bulgarian river and Black Sea ports with the ports in Northern Greece. Hristo Alexiev emphasized the possibility of a natural continuation of the Middle Corridor, connecting the countries of Central Asia with Europe along the Trans-Caspian route. The development of Corridor 8 was also the focus of the discussions.
