Prime Minister: it is impossible to talk about region’s economic development or general well-being and not to talk about its security
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has addressed the sixth Three Seas Initiative Business Forum in Vilnius with a welcoming speech and joined in discussions with the participants of the opening session.
The Prime Minister has underlined that the initiative to increase the Three Seas connectivity today also has a very clear security dimension. ‘Indeed, today it is impossible to talk about region’s economic development or general well-being and not to talk about its security. Russia’s premeditated full-scale war against Ukraine made all of us realize that peace cannot be taken for granted. Implications of this war reach far beyond Ukraine and beyond Three Seas region’s borders. To expect that aggressor’s imperialistic ambitions stop in Ukraine is naïve, irrational, wishful, short-sighted and unforgivable. Moreover, it is a clear invitation to aggressor to march further, deeper, broader,’ said the Prime Minister. ‘Security is not everything, but without it, there is not much of anything else. We, as governments, businesses, and societies, can have no luxury to be naïve and wishful, not to mention that simple human decency would require us not to be silent bystanders, united in doing nothing.’
Ingrida. Šimonytė has also spoke about the need to increase support to Ukraine, unite, and to improve the connectivity in the transport, energy, and digital areas, thus strengthening Europe's resilience to threats and exceeding region’s already positive growth projections. The Prime Minister has pointed out that this requires huge investments, and contribution from the public and private sectors, not only from Europe but from the rest of the world too (the US and the new strategic partner, Japan).
The role of Rail Baltica and Via Baltica in the TEN-T network and the progress of energy infrastructure have been noted, with the Prime Minister highlighting the completion of the synchronisation of the Baltic electricity transmission grid with the rest of Europe as the key project for Lithuania. ‘By decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and moving towards more environmentally friendly solutions, we are not just keeping pace in the global economic race but also actively contributing to our energy security,’ said the Prime Minister adding that Lithuania, the first country in Europe to have stopped importing energy resources from Russia, aims to become an energy exporter by 2030.
The Prime Minister has also mentioned Ukraine and Moldova as an integral part of the infrastructure development in the Three Seas Region. According to the Prime Minister, the ongoing efforts in rebuilding Ukraine, as well as preparation for Ukraine’s future EU membership, offer a historic opportunity to reshape the whole of region and to build a stronger Europe. ‘Investing in Ukraine’s reconstruction today is an extremely forward-looking investment. It is an investment in the economic growth of Ukraine, of our region, and that of Europe. Only by lifting each other up will we grow stronger as a community,’ said the Prime Minister stressing that long-term and sustainable peace is fundamental for any society and business alike, and the direct road to such peace is through taking care of and helping Ukraine in such a difficult time.
Every euro invested in Ukraine, every project that connects democratic nations and increases our economic or societal resilience is also an investment in peace, which is essential for the growth and long-term prosperity in the Three Seas region and in all of Europe,’ said Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.