3SI/ Joint declaration of the leaders: We reiterate the condemnation of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine

The presidents and high-level representatives of the twelve countries participating in the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) adopted, on Wednesday, during the summit in Bucharest, a joint declaration in which they reiterated the condemnation of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine and reaffirmed the importance of the platform for strengthening the resilience of the region by improving connectivity."We reaffirm the importance of the Initiative for strengthening the resilience of the region by improving connectivity. After a year and a half, since the beginning of the brutal war of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the geopolitical disturbances it generated, the validity of the 3SI concept has been proven, the same as the urgency of implementing its objectives," the leaders' declaration reads.They also reiterated their condemnation of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine."We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, in the face of the devastating consequences of Russia's war against the country and its people. We reiterate that Russia must immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces and equipment from Ukraine," it is mentioned in the document.The leaders participating in the 3SI Summit appreciated the efforts made by the Republic of Moldova to resist the growing pressures, in a dramatically changed geopolitical and geoeconomic reality, and welcomed it as a 3SI associated country, along with Ukraine.The leaders recognized the potential of 3SI to complement EU policies in terms of bringing the Western Balkans, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia closer to the EU, based on merits and common values, including through the involvement of these countries in the implementation of regional infrastructure projects under 3SI, thus investing in interconnectivity, in the expansion of EU corridors in the field of energy, transport, digital technology and telecommunications and in accelerating green transition.The presidents and high-level representatives of the countries participating in 3SI underscored the importance of developing cooperation within the Initiative with the strategic partners - the European Commission, the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany, and encouraged these partners to get involved even more in achieving the common objectives of the Initiative.They also emphasized that one of the political objectives of the 3SI is to strengthen the resilience of the dual-use infrastructure in the region, for increased civil and military mobility on the North-South axis, in compliance with the EU Action Plan on military mobility.The leaders also underlined that the US involvement and financial support in the implementation of strategic regional connectivity projects is essential in the current geopolitical environment, playing the role of as a crucial factor for the success of strategic interconnection, energy diversification and the overall achievement of 3SI goals.They invited all interested parties to cooperate in order to attract the necessary financial means for the implementation of the strategic projects of the 3SI.Further on, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to work together for connectivity in science, education, technology and innovation to ensure a more sustainable future development for the Three Seas Initiative region.Leaders committed to strengthen the region's cyber resilience and security to support the development of strategic infrastructure interconnections and digital networks and services among 3SI countries.The document welcomes the high-level participation in the summit and the 3SI Business Forum in Bucharest of 3SI's strategic partners - the European Commission, the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany - as well as the special guests: France, Greece, the Republic of Moldova, Japan, the Republic of Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, as well as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The leaders also welcome the support given to the vision and operational objectives pursued by 3SI from countries such as France, Japan, the Republic of Turkey and the United Kingdom, as well as from public and private institutions and enterprises in the 3SI region and beyond.Leaders welcome Greece as the 13th participating state of the 3SI.