The President highlighted geopolitical, military, and hybrid threats posed by Russia, the deteriorating democratic situation in the EU‘s neighborhood, and certain countries’ aim to destabilize the international environment.
According to Gitanas Nausėda, the joint response to threats and the implementation of the common goals is very clear: the transatlantic partnership with the United States needs to be strengthened further. “The 3SI offers opportunities for deeper involvement of the U.S. into regional cooperation and its contribution to the security of the entire Europe,” Gitanas Nausėda said.
In the President’s view, it is crucially important that the development of the digital economy and effective empowerment of energy and transport infrastructure is protected from cyberattacks and that a secure cyberspace is created. “Lithuania has already achieved significant progress in enhancing the rapid cyber-response capacity in the EU and in joint initiatives with the U.S., which can benefit the entire 3SI region,” the President stated. The Lithuanian-U.S. Cyber Security Centre in Kaunas provides assistance to partner countries ̶ Ukraine and Georgia ̶ while the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation, initiated by the U.S., focuses on the protection of energy infrastructure.
Gitanas Nausėda underscored the importance of the EU Green Deal for sustainable economic growth and transition. According to the President, increased connectivity is essential for the integration into the EU market but it is equally important to be able to use the infrastructure in a smart and secure way.
During the leaders’ political discussions, the President of Lithuania called for solidarity in the fight against illegal migration, in particular, by protecting the external border of the EU. Illegal migrant flows across the Lithuanian-Belarus border have recently increased by up to 19 times.
The Three Seas Initiative brings together 12 EU member states: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The U.S., Germany, and the European Commission are strategic partners of the 3SI. This is a presidential level forum complemented by governmental, parliamentary, and business cooperation.
The Three Seas Initiative aims to promote faster development and convergence of the region by increasing the connectivity of the participating countries in the fields of transport, energy, and digitalization, in particular, on the North-South axis. It also aims to enhance cohesion within the EU and transatlantic bonds between the European Union and the United States of America.
