SOFIA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian and Chinese officials here on Monday called for closer ties between China and Black Sea countries within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev and Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Zhang Haizhou here on Monday underlined the importance of the Black Sea region within the Belt and Road Initiative.
They made the statements at the opening ceremony of the international conference "The Black Sea Regional Dimension of the Belt and Road Initiative".
"The conference demonstrates the common will and desire for a more dynamic dialogue and more intensive and large-scale cooperation between China and the countries of the Black Sea region," Georgiev told the event, co-organized by the Diplomatic Institute to the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, and the 16+1 Think Tanks Network of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The linkage between the Black Sea region and the Belt and Road Initiative would help strengthen cooperation between Asian and European countries, and constitute a step towards building an open regional and global economy, based on peace and prosperity, Georgiev said.
More investments and joint projects in the Black Sea region in areas such as infrastructure and energy would make the region even more competitive and purposeful, Georgiev said.
"China attaches great importance to strengthening the pragmatic cooperation with the countries of the Black Sea region, including Bulgaria, in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative," Zhang said. "The cooperation potential is huge."
The active involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative and the achievement of common development met the interests of all countries, Zhang said.
The key and the most important first step in terms of Belt and Road construction is "strengthening policy coordination," according to the ambassador.
