Bulgaria expects the projects under the Three Seas Initiative to accelerate economic growth
11 July 2021 News
Bulgaria expects the implementation of the projects under the Three Seas Initiative to accelerate economic growth and convergence with the western part of the European Union.
This was emphasized in Deputy Foreign Minister Rumen Alexandrov's speech during the fourth "Dubrovnik Forum", which was held on July 9th and 10th, 2021 under the motto "Together in a World Apart.“
Deputy Minister Alexandrov was among the key participants in the discussion on the opportunities for stimulating economic growth and accelerated social development in Central and Eastern Europe, presenting the results of the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Sofia on July 8th and July 9th, 2021 and the one-year hosting by Bulgaria of the Initiative.
"We had a successful Summit of the Three Seas Initiative and a pragmatic and productive business forum. Senior representatives of 12 Central and Eastern European countries gathered in Sofia, including 9 presidents and one Prime Minister from the countries participating in the Initiative, including the presidents of Germany and Greece, as well as the vice president of the European Commission. We also saw a strong involvement of international financial institutions - the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Commission, as well as multinational companies such as Amazon and Google, said the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He added that the inclusion of Greece was at the initiative of Bulgaria, not only because of energy diversification, but also for the overall North-South connectivity. "Also at the initiative of Bulgaria, a new dimension of connectivity in the region was added - in the scientific field and new technologies," said Rumen Alexandrov.
Within the forum, Deputy Minister Alexandrov held a number of bilateral meetings. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, reaffirmed his readiness to continue the dialogue between the two countries as soon as possible. Current issues on the European agenda were discussed with the State Secretary for European Affairs of Croatia, Andreja Metelko-Zgombic, and it was agreed to continue the regular Bulgarian-Croatian consultations on bilateral cooperation and the Balkans.
Rumen Alexandrov also met with Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Pridatz, with whom they exchanged views on the further development of the Three Seas Initiative, the situation on the EU's external borders and the Black Sea area. Further steps in connection with Bulgaria's application for membership in the OECD were discussed with the Director of Global Relations of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Andreas Shaal, as the progress achieved so far in the preparation of our country was highly appreciated.
The Dubrovnik Forum, opened by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, was attended by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borel, Council of Europe Secretary General Maria Pejcinovic-Buric, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, the newly appointed High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmid, Foreign Ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Greece, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Canada to the EU and Europe Stefan Dion, as well as State Secretaries and Deputy Foreign Ministers of Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.