On Wednesday, September 6, a two-day summit commenced in Romania, intending to enhance interconnectivity in transportation, energy, and digital fields. The summit, known as The Three Seas Initiative, is being held in Bucharest, and 12 European Union member states between the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Seas participated. High-ranking officials from EU countries and representatives from partner countries also attended the event.
The office of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis highlighted the significance of an initiative aimed at strengthening regional and European resilience, especially after Russia’s “brutal and illegal aggression” against Ukraine a year and a half ago.
During the event, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke via video link and discussed Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s Danube ports, which he referred to as being at the border of the country’s three seas due to a recent drone attack.
The Three Seas Initiative was launched in 2016 and includes 12 countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Estonia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Lithuania. Only Austria wasn’t a former communist country.
Klaus Iohannis wrote on Twitter that it was a successful Summit in Bucharest, taking significant decisions on the Initiative’s future actions and strategic directions and developing practical instruments in the current geopolitical context.
“RO reached its objectives, as stated in our Joint Declaration,” posted the Romanian President.
“This 5th edition of the #3SI Business Forum has a major contribution to the achievement of the Initiative’s main goal: reducing the gaps between the East & West of the EU🇪🇺 and a stronger cohesion, prosperity and resilience in Central & Eastern Europe”, tweeted President Iohannis.
Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu tweeted on September 7 that she was “delighted to have shared insights on strengthening trade and investment ties at the Three Seas Initiative Business Forum in #Bucharest. We’re committed to fostering economic growth and collaboration among our vibrant #3SI countries.”
Obescu stated that the Initiative presents an excellent opportunity to strengthen regional resilience and improve Moldova and Ukraine’s relations with the European Union. Both countries were granted candidate membership in June of last year.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu met with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Wednesday during the event. Later, Sandu confirmed that Moldova, which shares a border with Ukraine and is significantly affected by the ongoing conflict there, is ready to promote connectivity and unity within Europe.
The U.S. government’s climate envoy, John Kerry, also attended the Initiative.
