The Marshal of the Sejm, Elżbieta Witek, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak, received the awards from the 3rd Self-Government Congress of the Three Seas in Lublin on Tuesday. According to Marshal Witek, parliaments that represent citizens’ voices deserve a clear place in the Three Seas Initiative project.
On Tuesday, a ceremonial gala of the 3rd Self-Government Congress of the Three Seas Initiative took place at the Center for the Meeting of Cultures in Lublin, where the Marshal of the Lublin Voivodeship, Jarosław Trzecirski, presented the “International success in the area of the Three Seas Regions” awards, which were presented by the congressional program board.
A new reality
The honorary award was presented to the Marshal of the Sejm, Elżbieta Witek, who thanked for the award in the recording played during the gala.
Since the beginning of my term as Marshal of the Sejm, I have undertaken extensive activities to build the parliamentary dimension of the Three Seas Initiative. I believe that parliaments that represent the voice of the people deserve a prominent place in this project and should be seen and heard
– she said, adding that the parliamentary dimension has become a legitimate part of cooperation under the Three Seas Initiative.
We live in special times, in a new reality. After the pandemic, after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, many existing political and economic concepts were verified. Many of them have been painfully exposed, and it is already known how much they missed
she said. As she said, what “we’ve talked about many times and what we’ve been trying to implement since 2015” has been confirmed.
Close cooperation and integration of countries in our region of Europe between the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea could prove crucial to ensure the security of our societies
– she said.
According to Witek, transport investments, common energy policy and tourism are important.
Shifting the political view to the north-south axis – and not just east-west – will bear fruit
she said.
She dedicated the award to her colleagues in the Polish Parliament and to the Speakers of Parliaments of other countries, who are building parliamentary diplomacy with her as part of the Three Seas Initiative.
The international success that is being awarded today – as the creators of the prize called it – is only possible thanks to international cooperation and friends from other countries
she said.
“Together we are stronger”
The award in the “Supporter of the Three Seas Initiative” category was presented to Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak, who expressed appreciation for the joint efforts to ensure security in his speech.
Together we are stronger – this is the slogan we are true to in the North Atlantic Alliance, but the Three Seas formula is a broader formula than just the North Atlantic Alliance
– he said, adding that the support we are providing to Ukraine is related to the fundamental message: no permission to recreate the Russian Empire.
Before our very eyes, Putin is trying to rebuild the Russian Empire. We Poles know very well that regardless of whether the Russian Empire was white or red, whether it belongs to Putin, it commits war crimes. The Ukrainians, the inhabitants of Bucza or Irpień, found out
he said.
He noted that other countries from our part of Europe had the same experience, therefore “our cooperation is aimed at ensuring security”.
As he said, during his visit to the United States, he heard expressions of deep gratitude from many people that the Poles had taken in so many refugees from Ukraine.
Open Polish hearts are noticed all over the world – including in the United States – and this is extremely important for the future
he noticed.
He gave examples of the dynamic development of Poland and the cooperation of countries between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas and mentioned new roads, including the Via Carpatia route.
The award in the category “company with international reach in the field of the Three Seas Initiative” went to PKO Bank Polski.
The bank is the largest company financing major investments in the country, but we are also developing regionally, in the Three Seas region
– said Paweł Gruza, vice chairman of the company’s board of directors, when receiving the statuette.
Speaking about the development of the bank, he mentioned the activity of branches in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He admitted that they would soon open a branch in Romania and announced further development.
Investments in energy security are very important to us and I hope we will support these initiatives in the region, just as we finance trade and economic exchange in the Three Seas countries
– he said.
Other events
The prize in the category “regional company in the area of the Three Seas Initiative” was awarded to Apis-Vita doo
The gala participants also took part in a concert by the Chamber Accordion Orchestra “Arti Sentemo” from Radzyń Podlaski.
The 3rd Local Government Congress of the Three Seas Initiative will take place this year on May 16 and 17. at the Center for Meeting of Cultures and the Lublin Conference Center. An agreement was signed during the event to establish the Three Seas Universities network. The congress is accompanied by the Economic Forum, with seminars and meetings devoted to e.g. challenges related to the reconstruction of Ukraine, but also innovation, digitization, hydrogen economy.
The Three Seas Initiative brings together 12 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. The idea behind this project is to stimulate the economic development of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and to create a stable and coherent partnership of countries from the area between the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce