Skopje, 21 January 2025 (MIA) – President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova met on Tuesday with James Carafano, Senior Counselor to the President of the Heritage Foundation and expert in national security and foreign policy, and Paul McCarthy, Regional Director for Europe at the International Republican Institute (IRI).

They briefed the President on the Three Seas Initiative, which includes 13 EU member states located between the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Seas: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and since 2023, Greece.

“The focus of the initiative is on the development of energy, transport, and digital infrastructure among the member states and strengthening the north-south axis in Eastern Europe. President Siljanovska Davkova believes that the integration of the Western Balkans into this initiative could deepen its success due to the geographical and political ties of the countries along the north-south axis in Eastern Europe. According to her, the visit of the two American representatives comes at the right time due to the compatibility between the goals and programs of the initiative and the European Growth Plan and the Reform Agenda for Development,” Siljanovska Davkova’s Office said.

Taking into account that the majority of the initiative’s members are also part of NATO and the EU, the President highlighted that joining the Three Seas Initiative will open opportunities for enhancing bilateral cooperation and accelerating the European integration processes.

“The interlocutors showed a strong commitment to enhancing cooperation with the Heritage Foundation and the International Republican Institute (IRI), with the aim of opening an office in our country,” reads the press release.

Photo: Office of the President of the Republic of North Macedonia