Minister Iva Petrova: Capital Follows Security, and Security Follows Infrastructure.
Energy Minister Iva Petrova welcomed the participants in the Third AmChams Regional Economic Summit (ARES), organized by the American Chambers of Commerce in Bulgaria, Greece and Türkiye. The forum in Sofia brought together representatives of business, institutions and international organizations from 15 countries from Southeast Europe, Central Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.
“Today we can celebrate the fact that the Forum has established itself as a platform for dialogue and partnership. The fact that new countries and organizations join the initiative every year shows how important joint decisions are in a world where sustainable development and economic growth increasingly depend on our ability to work together,” Minister Petrova emphasized. She noted that Bulgaria has a natural role in this process as a country that consistently works to strengthen energy, transport and digital connectivity in the region.
The Minister of Energy emphasized the importance of energy security as a prerequisite for stability: “The global challenges of recent years have reminded us of the high cost of dependency. Connectivity between countries, diversified sources and routes and modern infrastructure are much more than projects. In addition to energy security, they are a factor in economic resilience and the ability of entire regions to be competitive. The reason – capital follows security, and security follows infrastructure.”
As examples of practical solutions of regional importance, she highlighted the development of the Vertical Gas Corridor and the Green Energy Corridor initiative between the Caspian region and Europe. It is such projects that provide a real response to modern challenges and create prerequisites for a new energy architecture.
“The next decade will belong to economies that manage to be both connected, predictable and competitive. This is where the new opportunities for growth will focus,” stressed Minister Petrova. She expressed confidence that the forum would be a catalyst for new partnerships, investments and projects with a lasting contribution to the economies in the region.
The Third AmChams Regional Economic Summit (ARES) is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, as well as with the institutional support of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.
On 25 and 26 June 2026, Sofia welcomed over 300 business leaders from the so-called ARES Super Region, covering 17 countries in South-East Europe, Central Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean. The organisers and partners aim to build on the achievements of the previous two editions held in Istanbul (2024) and Athens (2025).
