Türkiye to become strategic partner in Three Seas Initiative

Türkiye is joining the Three Seas Initiative as a strategic partner, a coalition of Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Sea countries aimed at improving infrastructure in energy, transportation, and digitalization across Central and Eastern Europe.

Türkiye’s new role in the Three Seas Initiative

At the opening of the 10th summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Warsaw, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that Türkiye and Spain would join the initiative as strategic partners. Montenegro and Albania were also confirmed as official members.

“This year’s summit is significant because of the current geopolitical situation and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war at Poland’s eastern border. I believe the new participants will make this collaboration more efficient,” Duda said.

The Three Seas Initiative, which started in 2015 under the leadership of Poland and Croatia, aims to improve infrastructure linking the countries on the north-south axis of Europe.

It targets the energy, transportation, and telecommunication sectors, with the support of the European Union.

Minister Uraloglu represents Türkiye at summit

The 10th summit of the Three Seas Initiative, which began on Tuesday, is being attended by heads of state and government.

The main session is scheduled to take place today at Warsaw’s Royal Castle. The summit is expected to see 23 delegations participating, including 12 led by presidents.

Türkiye is represented by Abdulkadir Uraloglu, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, who will attend the discussions on behalf of the country.

The event also expects participation from non-European nations such as the United States, Japan, and Arab states.

Strategic partnership and infrastructure projects

The Three Seas Initiative, initially launched with 12 European Union member countries, aims to address infrastructure gaps in energy, transportation, and digitalization in Central and Eastern Europe.

The countries involved are Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

In 2023, the initiative expanded to include Greece. Strategic partners such as the U.S., Japan, the European Commission, and Germany are also involved. The initiative aims to link the three seas—Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Sea—offering access to global markets.

One of the key projects of the initiative is the Via Carpatia highway, which stretches from Lithuania’s Klaipeda Port through Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, all the way to Thessaloniki Port and further to Istanbul, Türkiye.

Infrastructure needs in central and eastern Europe

The Three Seas Initiative has identified 143 major infrastructure projects.

With significant gaps in the region’s infrastructure compared to Western Europe, estimates suggest that by 2030, €290 billion ($330.8B) will be needed in transportation investments, €88 billion ($100.3 billion) for energy, and €160 billion ($182.5 billion) for telecommunications.