Romanian ethnic minority and economic cooperation among chief concerns regionally, president says during C8 summit in Ukraine

The initiative brought together the eight countries crossed by the Carpathian Mountains: Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary and Ukraine. Among the objectives of the initiative were capitalizing on the region’s economic potential, attracting investments, protecting cultural and natural heritage, and developing cooperation between states.

Nicușor Dan explained that the meeting aimed to better capitalize on the potential of the Carpathian region and strengthen ties between the countries in this area.

“It is a summit that is trying to capitalize on the Carpathian region, and it is important for us from several perspectives. First of all, to build neighborhood relations. Obviously, we are interested in the Romanian minority here. The better connected we are, the closer they will be and the more they will be able to express their identity,” Nicușor Dan said before the summit, cited by Economedia.

The president also emphasized the economic opportunities that closer cooperation between the states in the region can bring.

According to Nicușor Dan, developing connections between the states in the Carpathian region could contribute both to attracting investments and to creating common economic opportunities. The president also spoke about the tourism potential of the Carpathian area in Romania.

After the summit, the president explained that Romania hosts half of the Carpathian mountain range.

"The Carpathian countries need to cooperate better to build roads and border crossing points, to strengthen energy connections, to promote tourism and economic and cultural exchanges, to protect nature, and to attract investments. I supported the need for an integrated approach to investments and projects that reach local communities," he said in a post on Facebook.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky chaired the inaugural summit of the “Carpathian 8” initiative.

“The Carpathians are not only beautiful, but they’re also an important part of the strength of our countries and of Europe. The mountains do not divide, but unite regions through major Carpathian transport and logistics routes. We developed strong cross-border trade and energy links here, and they are critical for our countries,” the Ukrainian president said.