PM Ciolacu:Upgrading Otopeni Airport is part of commercial partnerships with UAE

Romania's Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that the expansion and upgrading of Otopeni Airport, port and railway infrastructure, investments in green energy and food processing are strategic objectives of a trade partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Developing joint strategic projects between Romania and the United Arab Emirates was the guideline of the economic meetings that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had on a recent working visit to Abu Dhabi, according to the Romanian Government.Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had meetings with ADQ Al Dahra management; Khaldoon al Mubarak, CEO of Mubadala; IHC/Abu Dhabi Ports representatives and Sultan Al Jaber, ADNOC CEO, Masdar President and President of the COP28 World Climate Action Summit. He voiced Romania's interest in keeping up high levels of bilateral relations and in drawing Emirati investments, underscoring the importance of the third sitting of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission, which will take place in Bucharest in the near future.The prime minister said that in terms of projects in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, food processing, and ICT, Emirati companies can have a substantial contribution to the development of major investments in Romania."The expansion and upgrading of Otopeni Airport, port and railway infrastructure, investments in green energy and food processing are the strategic objectives of the commercial partnership with the United Arab Emirates."The prime minister said that professional associations and chambers of commerce and industry from both countries have an important role in promoting and supporting bilateral co-operation and exchanges of experience."The Romanian prime minister mentioned that his visit will also lead to the increasing the presence of Romanian companies on the UAE market. At the same time, both parties showed interest in setting up a Romania-UAE sovereign investment fund. Energy co-operation was one of the subjects tackled at these meetings, given that Romania still has an important component of using conventional energy, which offers opportunities for co-operation in the fields of oil products and natural gas, but is also undergoing the transition to a green economy, in line with EU climate commitments. Therefore, significant investments are encouraged in areas such as renewable energy and improving energy efficiency, but also in developing new energy storage capacities in order to balance the energy system in Romania," the Romanian Government says in a press statement.Another area tackled at the meetings was the development of bilateral trade, focusing on agri-food products and ICT, as these goods are offering insufficiently tapped opportunities.In terms of transport, besides the strategic importance of the Constanta Port, Romania offers co-operation and development opportunities for its railway and road networks. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu also mentioned eight projects proposed by Romania under the Three Seas Initiative (3I), which are at various stages of implementation, and which may be interesting for expert transport, energy and digital infrastructure investors.