Rasi: Membership in Three Seas Initiative Is of Paramount Importance

Zagreb, 25 March (TASR) - House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) considers Slovakia's membership in the Three Seas Initiative to be of paramount importance, according to a post published by Rasi on Facebook after attending the initiative's parliamentary summit held in Zagreb on Wednesday. Despite the country being landlocked, Slovakia requires strong transport links and stable energy routes, according to Rasi. "We've just concluded talks at the Three Seas summit, which includes 13 European Union countries from the Baltic states and Poland in the north down to Greece in the south. We discussed economic cooperation," stated Rasi, adding that since all participating states are EU members, trade between them is "straightforward". The discussions focused on North-South transport corridors, the construction of rail routes and energy security. According to Rasi, the global economy is changing and traditional East-West routes are being disrupted by global problems, wars and sanctions. He pointed out that a new economic, commercial, and security axis is forming, running from the north of Central and Eastern Europe to the south. "That's one of the reasons why it's vital for Slovakia to be part of the changes taking place in Europe today," stated Rasi. Launched in 2015, the Three Seas Initiative brings together 13 EU member states situated between the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas. It also includes strategic partners such as the European Commission, the United States, Germany, Turkey, Spain, and Japan. Its objective is to strengthen connectivity, particularly in the fields of transport, energy, and digital infrastructure. On Tuesday (24 March), Rasi also held bilateral talks with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic as part of his two-day official visit to Croatia. jrg