Deputy Minister Paweł Jabłoński attends V4 and Japan seminar on connectivity
21.04.2021
The Three Seas Initiative, its foundations and goals, as well as its significance for the development of transport, energy and digital infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe were the key issues addressed by the MFA Undersecretary of State Paweł Jabłoński during today’s seminar on the cooperation of the Visegrad Group countries and Japan in the field of connectivity. The meeting was hosted by Poland’s Embassy in Tokyo, in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Josai University. It is a cyclical event organised each time by the state currently presiding over the V4.
The seminar was an opportunity to promote the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) and sustain growing interest in this format of regional cooperation. In his speech, Deputy Minister Paweł Jabłoński presented the foundations and goals of the cooperation within the 3SI as the key geopolitical project in Central and South-Eastern Europe, which focuses on improving connectivity in this part of the continent.
The Three Seas cooperation is primarily aimed at making a better use of the region’s economic potential, thus strengthening the whole EU’s global impact. The development of the Three Seas Initiative also plays an important role in the strengthening of transatlantic relations - said the deputy head of Polish diplomacy.
Deputy Minister Jabłoński pointed out top priorities in the development of transport, energy and digital infrastructure and the need to deepen cooperation in prospective areas such as the use of drones, advances of hydrogen economy and cybersecurity.
While presenting the audience with the main infrastructural projects of the Three Seas Initiative, in particular the Via Carpathia, the North-South Energy Corridor and the Three Seas Digital Highway, the deputy head of Polish diplomacy noted that they can also be of interest for Japanese investors. He also noted The Three Seas Investment Fund’s role in financing infrastructural projects in the region. Moreover, he declared willingness to cooperate with partners outside the Initiative and underlined special interest in and prospects of cooperation with Japan.
The seminar brought together 150 people including representatives of Japanese administration, business and academia as well as ambassadors and representatives of the V4 governments. The Japanese side was represented by Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Takashi Uto.
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Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA