Free Membership
Newsletter
Help
Subscribe
Sign In
Search
March 22, 2023
All times are Vienna time
Search
Subscribe
Sign In
Countries:
Africa »
Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burundi Côte d'Ivoire Ethiopia Ghana Guinea Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Mali Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda South Africa Sudan Tanzania The Congo Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Asia-Pacific »
Afghanistan Australia Bangladesh Cambodia China Hong Kong SAR India Indonesia Japan Laos Malaysia Mongolia Myanmar Nepal New Zealand North Korea (DPRK) Pakistan Philippines Singapore South Korea Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Vietnam
Central- & Eastern Europe »
Albania Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Rep. Estonia Georgia Hungary Kosovo Latvia Lithuania North Macedonia Montenegro Poland Romania Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine Western Balkans
Middle East »
Egypt Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestinian Territories Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen
Russia & CIS »
Russia Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Moldova Turkmenistan Uzbekistan
The Americas »
Argentina Bolivia Brazil Canada Central America Chile Colombia Cuba Ecuador Mexico Panama Paraguay Peru The Caribbean Uruguay Venezuela
United States
Western Europe »
Belgium Cyprus Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Iceland Ireland Italy Liechtenstein Luxembourg Malta Monaco Norway Portugal Scotland Spain Sweden Switzerland The Netherlands United Kingdom Vatican City
Business:
Economy
Economic Policies
Investing in Austria
Securities
Earnings
Foreign Trade
Deals
Legal Issues
More Business & Economics+
Politics:
Domestic
Brussels
International
Diplomacy
Companies:
Professional Services »
Banks Financial Services Real Estate Insurance Other Services
Energy »
Oil & Gas Utilities Renewables Mining
Industrials »
Construction Automotive Industrial Goods Basic Resources Chemicals Other Industrials
Transport »
Airlines & Airports Shipping Rail Road
Retail & Consumer
Health Care
Technology
Telecoms
Media
Tourism
Other
Organizations:
Diplomatic Missions
International Organizations
Other
People:
Executives
Politicians
Diplomats
Entrepreneurs
Other
Lifestyle & Travel:
Culture
Travel
Personal Real Estate
Health
Food & Drink
Luxury Goods
More+
More+:
Events
Photo Galleries
Videos
Classifieds
Work & Careers
More+
Home
Countries
Business
Politics
Diplomacy
Companies
Organizations
People
Lifestyle & Travel
More+
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burundi
Côte d'Ivoire
Ethiopia
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Mali
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
South Africa
Sudan
Tanzania
The Congo
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Asia-Pacific
Afghanistan
Australia
Bangladesh
Cambodia
China
Hong Kong SAR
India
Indonesia
Japan
Laos
Malaysia
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
New Zealand
North Korea (DPRK)
Pakistan
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
Central- & Eastern Europe
Albania
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Rep.
Estonia
Georgia
Hungary
Kosovo
Latvia
Lithuania
North Macedonia
Montenegro
Poland
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Ukraine
Western Balkans
Middle East
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Palestinian Territories
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Russia & CIS
Russia
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Moldova
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
The Americas
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Central America
Chile
Colombia
Cuba
Ecuador
Mexico
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
The Caribbean
Uruguay
Venezuela
United States
Western Europe
Belgium
Cyprus
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Norway
Portugal
Scotland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
The Netherlands
United Kingdom
Vatican City
Economy
Economic Policies
Investing in Austria
Securities
Earnings
Foreign Trade
Deals
Legal Issues
More Business & Economics+
Domestic
Brussels
International
Professional Services
Banks
Financial Services
Real Estate
Insurance
Other Services
Energy
Oil & Gas
Utilities
Renewables
Mining
Industrials
Construction
Automotive
Industrial Goods
Basic Resources
Chemicals
Other Industrials
Transport
Airlines & Airports
Shipping
Rail
Road
Retail & Consumer
Health Care
Technology
Telecoms
Media
Tourism
Other
Diplomatic Missions
International Organizations
Other
Executives
Politicians
Diplomats
Entrepreneurs
Other
Culture
Travel
Personal Real Estate
Health
Food & Drink
Luxury Goods
More+
Events
Photo Galleries
Videos
Classifieds
Work & Careers
More+
Latest News
Ukrainian War
Covid in Austria
USA in Vienna
UK in Vienna
Russia in Vienna
China in Vienna
Iran in Vienna
UN
OSCE
IAEA
OPEC
Sponsored Content
Tweet
Share

Three Seas Initiative in Riga for Common Ground against Russia

People › Other ♦ Published: June 20, 2022; 22:08 ♦ (Vindobona)
Sponsored Content

The Three Seas Initiative met in Riga. Austria and eleven other Central Eastern European countries accepted Ukraine as a member of the Three Seas Initiative at the Presidential Summit in Riga. Austrian President Van der Bellen traveled to Riga and appealed for unity against Russia.

This year's Three Seas Initiative Summit was held in Riga, Latvia. Austria was also represented. / Picture: © Latvian and Austrian crossed flags by Vindobona

The President of Latvia, Egils Levits, invited the presidents and high-ranking officials of the member states of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), as well as representatives of the strategic partners of the initiative - the United States, Germany, and the European Commission - to discuss current priorities and plans in the closed session.

At the press conference, it was emphasized that the main themes of the Summit were the potential for further development of the Initiative, as well as the strategic role of the 3SI region in supporting Ukraine both during the war and taking into account Ukraine's reconstruction prospects.

Discussions at the summit centered on the involvement of the initiative's strategic partners, building cooperation among 3SI member states, openness to cooperative efforts with like-minded regional and global partners, including the participation of the United Kingdom and Japan, and intergovernmental cooperation, as well as prospects for enhancing the initiative's priorities.

Sponsored Content

For the President of Latvia, the initiative is a growth region as "the economies of the initiative are growing faster than in Europe." Therefore there is a need to promote further development in the three core areas of the initiative: Energy, Transportation and Digitalization, according to the President of Latvia.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen also traveled to Riga and attended the summit.

Ukraine and the initiative

A key theme of the summit was Ukraine's participation in the initiative. The Member states of the initiative "unanimously supported Ukraine's struggle for sovereignty and freedom."

According to the press conference, Ukraine will be closer to the European Union, with the Three Seas Initiative. "We started a close cooperation with Ukraine in the framework of the Three Seas Initiative ", stressed the President of Latvia, Egils Levits.

In his video address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, pointed out how the Three Seas Initiative has supported Ukraine and confirmed Ukraine's interest in becoming an active member of the initiative.

"The countries of the Three Seas Initiative connect us with the rest of the world," President Zelenskyy said in his live speech.

Conversely, he said, Ukraine's network of gas pipelines "can satisfy the needs of all the states of the Three Seas Initiative." Moreover, Ukraine could become the transport hub for the region stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea and the Adriatic, Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted, for example, the railroad line between Warsaw and Kyiv or the north-south highway "Via Carpathia".

Developing new ties with other countries

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also delivered video speeches and attended the Summit online.

Sponsored Content

The 3SI member states also welcomed the announced significant financial support from the U.S. to the 3SI Investment Fund.

At the Summit, all parties discussed the importance of promoting cohesion among the countries in the region and attracting further investment. In that context, Levits expressed that "I am particularly pleased with the U.S.'s commitment to advancing this theme, and today's announcement of an additional financial contribution to the 3SI Investment Fund that demonstrates U.S. interest in the region and our growing transatlantic ties."

Austrian President Van der Bellen at the 3SI Summit

At a presidential summit in the Latvian capital Riga, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen also attended the summit of the Three Seas Initiative. "I think it is a good initiative. Ukraine needs support on all lines," President Van der Bellen stressed at the summit.

President Van der Bellen described Ukraine's inclusion in the initiative as a "parallel action" to the planned granting of EU candidate status. Ukraine needs "signals of belonging to Europe", the Federal President underlined. He was in Riga because it was "always exciting" to have contact with a larger number of counterparts, "to see what the mood is, what interests are being articulated."

"Austria has the strongest interest in maintaining common ground in solving the issues at hand," Alexander Van der Bellen said. In this regard, he drew a comparison to the pandemic, where EU states had also jointly procured vaccines, for example.

"Now we are facing similar issues in all questions of energy supply, the exit from Russian oil and Russian gas." Precisely because some states find it easier to exit than others, he said, it is "important to see what common lines we can take here." In the run-up to the summit, he had already stressed that the states in the initiative "must not allow themselves to be divided."

Asked whether the U.S. and its Eastern European partners had been more far-sighted than, say, Germany and Austria about Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, President Van der Bellen replied that he was among all those "who, given the relations between Russia and Austria, which is also historically conditioned, simply did not think this war of aggression was possible."

The President of Austria explained his understanding of the Baltic States, Finland and Sweden for which the Russian invasion of Ukraine has a different weight, due to the history of the Russian Tsarist Empire and the immediate neighborhood with Russia. Especially since Russian President Vladimir Putin lets aggressive tones in the media.

However, Austria is "in a privileged situation simply because of geography, and you can't change geography," the president added.

Sponsored Content

Van der Bellen also met bilaterally with Poland's President, Andrzej Duda, Estonia's President, Alar Karids, and Bulgaria's President, Rumen Radev, after the summit. A brief meeting was held with the Latvian host, Egils Levits, and with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The Three Seas Initiative

The initiative was founded after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 to reduce the region's dependence on Russia in the transport and energy sectors. Specifically, this was to be achieved, for example, through the construction of liquefied natural gas terminals in Poland and Croatia.

At the time, the initiative was seen as particularly directed against the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline operated by Germany and Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a video message at the summit that the Ukraine war had made the initiative's goals "a necessity." Energy supplies need to be diversified because of the oil embargo on Russia, better roads are needed for NATO troop deployments, and also for grain exports from Ukraine, he said.

3SI Three Seas Initiative

Presidential Chancellery of Austria

Copyright © Vindobona. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from Vindobona and redistribute by email or post to the web.
Sponsored Content
Fast News Search
Related News
Austrian World Summit 2022: Fighting Against Climate Change in Vienna (June 14, 2022)
Austrian President Van der Bellen Met with Delegation of the Sauti-Kuu Foundation (June 13, 2022)
Austrian Chancellor Strengthening Partnership with Estonia (June 10, 2022)
Read More
Yoshimasa Hayashi, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Via Carpathia, USA, UK United Kingdom, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Russo-Ukrainian War, Russian Gas, Russia, Rumen Radev, Romania, Riga, Presidential Chancellery of Austria, Poland, Liz Truss, Lithuania, Latvia, Kyiv, Japan, Hungary, Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Estonia, Egils Levits, Czech Republic, Croatia, Bulgaria, Antony Blinken, Andrzej Duda, Alexander Van der Bellen, 3SI Three Seas Initiative, Alar Karids
Featured
See latest Vindobona Newsletter
Sign up now for full site access and to read a limited amount of free premium articles per month:
Sign Up
×
Sponsored Content
Sponsored Content
©1995-2023 Vindobona
Contact
Help
Imprint
Press
Careers
Partners
Terms & Conditions
Site Security
Privacy
Sitemap
Advertise
About Us