Dear friends,
I greet you from Latvia, one of the Baltic Sea countries in the Three Seas Initiative.
This year’s Three Seas Initiative Summit demonstrates our joint commitment towards better connectivity of our regions – connectivity in the fields of energy, transport and digitalization.
Let me give you a brief Latvian perspective on the Initiative.
The projects submitted by Latvia for consideration are based on a number of principles.
First, renewable energy is a priority for Latvia. Both because of our commitment to climate change goals and to the region’s energy security.
Second, we need a rail corridor from the Baltic States to link us to Western Europe. In the 1920s Latvians could board the Nord-Express sleeping car at Riga railway station and arrive in Berlin 15 hours later. One hundred years later Rail Baltica will be the fast rail link connecting the Baltic states to Western Europe, and possibly eventually the far North.
Thirdly, our vision is one of highly developed 5G networks and artificial intelligence harnessed to promote euro-atlantic values.
Friends,
For us, the Three Seas Initiative is also a way to strengthen the transatlantic bond. We believe that success of the Three Seas Initiative lies in continuous involvement of partners – the United States, Germany and the European Commission.
Ambition, combined with imagination, a clear vision and a responsible attitude, will help us move the Three Seas Initiative projects from paper into realty. These are projects that could help our countries individually and will cause the whole region to become more resilient and competitive.
The Three Seas Initiative is an important instrument in our hands. Let us make good use of it! Our progress will be judged at our next Summit in Bulgaria in 2021.
Thank you!
