WARSAW
Polish President Andrzej Duda said the Three Seas Initiative economic partnership will be expanded to include Montenegro and Albania as associated countries while Türkiye and Spain will join as strategic partners, local media reported Monday.
"Montenegro and Albania will officially join the Three Seas Initiative as associated participating states, while Türkiye and Spain will join us as strategic partners. This is great news," Duda said in a speech at the Belweder Palace in Warsaw at the opening of a business event as part of the 10th Three Seas Initiative Summit.
The Three Seas Initiative is a platform for cooperation between the presidents of several countries located between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas. Its aim is to strengthen the cohesion of the European Union by strengthening the infrastructural, energy and economic cooperation of the countries of Central Europe.
“This year's summit is particularly important due to the current geopolitical situation and the war taking place beyond Poland's eastern border,” Duda said.
The president said he was pleased to announce that "the Three Seas Initiative is expanding to include new countries that want to strengthen cooperation in the region," adding this refers to Montenegro and Albania.
The 10th anniversary Three Seas Summit is being held in Warsaw from April 28-29 with high-level delegations from over 20 countries.
The initiative consists of 13 member countries, four strategic partners and two associate members.
“There is no doubt that the Three Seas Initiative has become the most important platform for regional cooperation in our part of Europe and, I believe, in the European Union. We are the driving force of the European economy and a very attractive destination for investment in these challenging times,” the presidential office said in a statement.
According to Duda, the Three Seas region is now home to 120 million people and shows a high dynamic of economic growth.
“Today, the Three Seas Region is one of the fastest growing regions in the world, with a projected GDP growth of 35% by 2030. This cooperation is creating strategic transport routes such as Via Baltica, Rail Baltica or Via Carpatia – corridors linking Central Europe with the rest of the continent and a gateway for investment from the Middle East and Africa,” Duda said.
The Three Seas Summit is accompanied by the ITM Business Forum, which will also discuss cooperation with Ukraine.
The Three Seas Initiative is also known as the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea Initiative, or simply the Three Seas — an international economic and infrastructure initiative that unites 12 EU countries located near the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas -- Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Ukraine and Moldova are associate members. The strategic partners of the initiative are the United States, Japan, Germany and the European Commission. The initiative aims to foster regional dialogue on various issues.
In June 2022, Ukraine received the status of a participating partner, effectively becoming a participant in the initiative.