President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova received James Carafano, Senior Advisor to the President of the Heritage Foundation and a leading expert on national security and foreign policy, and Paul McCarthy, Regional Director for Europe of the International Republican Institute – IRI.
They introduced her to the “Three Seas” initiative, which includes 13 EU member states between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and also Greece from 2023.
The initiative focuses on the development of energy, transport and digital infrastructure of the members and on the strengthening of the North-South axis in Eastern Europe.
President Siljanovska-Davkova believes that the joining of the Western Balkans in this initiative can deepen its success due to the geographical and political connection of the countries of the North-South axis in Eastern Europe.
According to her, the visit of the two US representatives comes at the right time due to the compatibility between the goals and programs of the initiative with the European Growth Plan and the Reform Agenda for Development.
Considering that most of the members of the initiative are also members of NATO and the EU, the President emphasized that our joining to the “Three Seas” initiative will open an opportunity for intensifying mutual cooperation and accelerating the European integration processes.
The interlocutors expressed their determination to deepen cooperation with the Heritage Foundation, as well as with the International Republican Institute – IRI by opening an office in our country.
