‘We are working on creating new formats of cooperation in Black Sea': Zelenskyy

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said that they are working on creating new formats of cooperation in the Black Sea region.

“Currently, we are working on creating new formats of cooperation and strengthening the existing ones in our region – the Black Sea region,” Zelenskyy said in an online address to a meeting of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in Sweden.

In this regard, Zelenskyy underlined his recent visit to the Romanian capital Bucharest, where he and his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis agreed on raising bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership.

Zelenskyy said they are working “effectively” in a trilateral format, which also includes neighboring Moldova, particularly in terms of logistical cooperation for the export of food produced in Ukraine.

“This also has potential for the energy industry of our countries – for energy independence from Russia. We have a common understanding of security challenges as well,” Zelenskyy added.

He went on to say that Ukraine also has extremely important cooperation with Türkiye and Bulgaria.

“We all have to remember that joint security and development of the economy, and infrastructure in the Black Sea region are some of the keys to the geopolitical stability of entire Europe,” he further said.

The JEF is a northern European security coalition comprising the UK, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway.