site.btaPresident Radev: "Joint Projects, Investments of States in Central, Eastern Europe Will Strengthen EU"

Warsaw, July 6 (BTA) - "More investments and joint projects in infrastructure, energy and digitalization in the area between the three seas: the Black Sea, the Adriatic and the Baltic will generate value added for the citizens of Central and Eastern Europe and will make the entire European Union more competitive and purpose-oriented. The sustainable development of our vibrant region depends on our skill to coordinate our policies, to define clearly our common goals and to stand up for them," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said here on Thursday, quoted by his Press Secretariat, as addressing the 12-nation Three Seas Initiative Summit.

Radev is paying a working visit to Warsaw, July 5-7, his first trip to that destination since taking office.

The Three Seas Initiative involves Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The US also joined the format this year.

At the Summit, the heads of State discussed opportunities for expanding cooperation in key areas like energy, digital economy and cyber security, transport, infrastructure, environment, agriculture and tourism.

"We are living in dynamic times that confront us with unpredictable and varied security challenges. This is precisely why Bulgaria is convinced of the need of a common and consistent policy," the President said at the forum.

He thanked US President Donald Trump for attending the Three Seas Initiative and for his explicit support for the development of the region. "The deployment of US troops in Bulgaria and the joint training of the two countries' armed forces contribute to an enhancement of the fighting ability of the Bulgarian Army," said Radev, who is also Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces.

Referring to the target set to NATO Member States to increase their defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP, he said that the more funds invested need to be translated into tangible combat capabilities.

Bulgaria welcomed the decision adopted at the Summit to set up a Three Seas Initiative business forum for entrepreneurs of the 12 countries. The Bulgarian leader pointed out that the opening of the Initiative to the private sector will provide an added incentive to bilateral and multilateral economic, research and energy cooperation. "It is vital that the forum's political efforts be backed by actual business initiatives, which will contribute to the actual connectivity of the countries in the region," Radev said.

At the start of his visit on Wednesday, the President met with members of the Bulgarian community here. Radev briefed the expatriates on the purposes of his visit.

He said that Sofia's relations with Warsaw are making vigorous progress in all areas. Radev stressed the significance of the two countries' historical, intellectual and cultural ties. "Thank you for keeping up your Bulgarian identity, spirit and culture on Polish soil and for sharing them with the brotherly Polish people. You are the living bridge between our two nations, and you are Bulgaria's face in Poland," the President said, addressing the expats.

Government ministers, representatives of the Polish legislative, local and regional authorities, and Bulgaria's honorary consuls in Poland attended the meeting at the Bulgarian Embassy in Warsaw.

Bulgarian Ambassador to Poland Emil Yalnuzov noted that the two countries will celebrate the 100th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2018. "We should be proud that Bulgaria and Poland today, as allies in NATO and partners in the European Union, can set an example of excellent relations between two modern European nations," Yalnuzov said

President Radev visited an exhibition at the Bulgarian Institute in Warsaw, dedicated to Bulgarian freedom fighter Vassil Levski.

On July 7, the head of State will take part in a roundtable within the framework of the Global Forum in Warsaw, co-hosted by the Atlantic Council and the Polish Institute of International Affairs.