EU urges Armenia to join electricity cable project from Azerbaijan to Romania

The European Commission urged Armenia to participate in the Black Sea submarine power transmission line (Black Sea electricity cable) project from Azerbaijan to Romania and pledged assistance to Yerevan in nuclear safety.

The commission outlined this in a joint statement signed following a meeting between European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the margins of the European Political Community summit in Granada, TASS reports.

"The European Commission will support Armenia's participation in regional projects such as the Black Sea energy cable project. European Commission will extend technical assistance to Armenia in the air and nuclear safety," the statement said.

The 3 GW Black Sea power cable project was approved by the European Commission in 2022. It envisages the creation of a direct underwater power transmission line from Azerbaijan through Georgia and the Black Sea to Romania and other EU countries. It is seen as one of the ways to compensate for losses from the breakdown of the EU's energy relations with Russia and at the same time as a way to counter China's One Belt, One Road initiative.