In times of war we mustn't build fences, but bridges, and energy bridges are vital and essential, especially in what concerns cooperation in the Black Sea region in the energy area, Republic of Moldova Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu told Energy Week Black Sea 2026 on Wednesday.

'In times of challenges, of war, we must not build fences, we must build bridges. And energy bridges are vital and essential. As regards cooperation in the Black Sea region in the area of renewable energy, we all know that there are few time zones. When in Azerbaijan and Georgia it is already midday and the sun is shining and producing electricity, in the other part of Europe it is still morning. The submarine cable linking Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary, a high-voltage direct current interconnector, will demonstrate how energy can bring stability, security and renewable energy through interconnectors,' the Moldovan minister said.

According to him, the fragility of the Ukrainian energy system and the constant attacks by the Russian Federation against it weaken energy infrastructure on a daily basis and, in such a situation, energy interconnections are vital.

'The Republic of Moldova is extremely grateful to Romania and Ukraine for the close cooperation. And my message, also at home, to the population, is that Moldova's energy system is not isolated, it is not independent. It is interconnected with Romania, it is interconnected with Ukraine and we should function as a single system,' Junghietu added.

He said that, in the future, energy interconnectors must be built between countries in the Black Sea area.

'For this, so that we can function even better in the future, we must allow the integration of more renewable sources, in order to ultimately interconnect also with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary. We must build regional interconnectors. We are firmly determined to build together all possible interconnectors, alongside the other three currently under construction between Romania and Moldova,' the Moldovan Minister of Energy further mentioned.

Energy Week Black Sea 2026, a regional event dedicated to the energy transition and investments in the Black Sea area, brings together on Wednesday and Thursday in Bucharest political decision-makers, regulators, utility companies, developers, investors, financiers and corporate energy buyers from Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Türkiye, Georgia and the wider European markets.

The event organised by Invest In Network, now in its sixth edition, focuses on accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, strengthening grids and cross-border interconnectors, stimulating investment and increasing regional energy security.

The agenda also includes an extended focus on artificial intelligence-powered infrastructure and data centres as emerging drivers of clean energy demand. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Cristian Anghelache; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)