Meeting with Bogdan Murgescu

The Romanian historian Bogdan Murgescu explained to us the history of Romanian-Chinese relations dating back to the first years of the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu whereas today China remains a side issue. For the further development of Romania a prosperous Black Sea area would be an important trigger. At the same time Romania is one of NATO’s geostrategically most important members.

Special thanks to Lukas Vosicky who initiated this wide-ranging discussion

Meeting with Gerd Bommer

Thank you to Gerd Bommer, Commercial Counselor of the Austrian Embassy – Commercial Section in Romania, for hosting us in Bucharest and discussing the economic potential of Romania as well as the shared dream of overlanding the Silk Road.

Special thanks to Matthias Mündl who put us in touch.

Port of Constanța

As the Black Sea is and has always been a major arena of trans-Eurasian connections it was a special honour to visit the Romanian Port of ConstanÈ›a, the largest port at the Black Sea and a main gate for the export of Central and Eastern European goods. Daniel Jarnea and his team explained to us ConstanÈ›a’s future role as the Western port of entry for the Middle Corridor Initiative, that connects Central Asia via Georgia with the European Union. The exclusive tour through the port area offered insights into the future developments of the port.

Meeting with H.E. Andrea Wicke

It was a special honour to be invited to the Embassy of Austria in Sofia to meet with H.E. Andrea Wicke, Ambassador of Austria in Bulgaria.

Special thanks to Herwig Hadwiger for making this meeting possible.

Meeting with Ursula Straka

A big thank you to Ursula Straka, head of the delegation of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, and her team for the warm welcome, the hospitality and the support in Sofia.

Special thanks to Matthias Mündl for initiating this meeting.