On 10 July 2021 in Dubrovnik, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, took part in the Dubrovnik Forum, an annual high-level event. This year’s forum focused on the geopolitics of the post-pandemic world, the Western Balkans, the development of regional cooperation formats, and their role in the facilitation of economic growth.
The Foreign Minister took part in a panel discussion on economic growth and development, at which he noted the need to work closed at the European Union (EU) level and underlined the importance of regional cooperation for achieving goals.
Edgars Rinkēvičs highlighted the role of the Three Seas Initiative (TSI) in the strengthening of the region and thereby transport, digital and energy connectivity, as well as the transatlantic bond. The Minister noted the need for achieving that infrastructure projects important for the region are being implemented, which can be made possible with assistance from a robust TSI Investment Fund.
A declaration on the establishment of the TSI was signed in Dubrovnik in 2016. At the Forum, Edgars Rinkēvičs affirmed that Latvia has undertaken to host the seventh Three Seas Initiative Summit in the summer of 2022. Latvia’s decision was officially announced by the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, during this year’s TSI Summit in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, on 8–9 July.
Background information
The Three Seas Initiative (TSI) launched in 2016 is a regional economic cooperation platform comprised of 12 EU countries that are located between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas. It aims at bridging the existing connectivity gaps between the EU’s northern and southern regions in the energy, transport infrastructure and digital communication sectors, reinforcing EU-level cohesion and the transatlantic bond.