Dear friends,
Esteemed leaders, our distinguished guests,
Dear journalists,
Today marks the first meeting in a new format that brings all of us together – thanks to the Carpathians. For the first time, here in Ukraine, in our part of the Carpathians, we hold a Summit that brings together all the Carpathian states, the regions of our states, and communities of our states. This marks the start of a movement that should bring our countries even closer together and create another strong framework for cooperation at the EU level – security, energy, a significant expansion of logistics and cross-border economic cooperation, as well as substantial support for our communities.
We are launching a new format – “C8,” the Carpathian Eight – bringing together us and our neighbors in Europe. I am really glad to welcome here in our Ukrainian Carpathians the Presidents of Romania and Serbia, the Prime Minister of Poland, and representatives of Slovakia, Czechia, and Austria – Madam President. Representatives of Hungary will join us this evening for the opening of the economic part of our Summit. And, of course, we will have a lot of work with the European Union this evening and tomorrow here in our Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Dear friends, dear leaders,
The Carpathians are not only beautiful, they’re also an important part of the strength of our countries and of Europe. The mountains that do not divide, but unite regions through major Carpathians transport and logistics routes. We developed strong cross-border trade and energy links here, and they are critical for our countries. Our strategic gas storage facilities are also here, in the Carpathian region, they are among the largest in Europe.
And there is another point.
Like the Alps, the Carpathians are a major European mountain region with a unique and complex framework of climate, infrastructure and institutional challenges. Many of these issues can be solved only together.
In the long term, the Carpathian region, our border regions and our cooperation are becoming much more important. Russia is building its policy around a long-term confrontation with a united Europe. And our peoples want the opposite. We want a united Europe. A Europe with strong regional policy. And here in the Carpathians, we have many practical tasks that require constant coordination.
We need better transport and logistics. We need more capacity to move large volumes of goods. We need to move faster with the modernization of our roads and railways. We need military mobility that improves our defense capability. We need more storage facilities, more renewables, development of the region's critical minerals, stronger trade links and stronger manufacturing cooperation. We need to build more interconnectors between our energy systems. And, of course, we need to bring much more investment into the Carpathian region.
The Carpathian macro-region is a natural European gateway for routes coming from the South Caucasus and Asia through the Black Sea. These routes are active today, and they will remain active in the future. Whether cargo, electricity or people come through Constanța, Varna or Odesa, they have to cross the Carpathian region to reach other countries of Central Europe.
In the past, people often looked at the Carpathians mainly as a region of tourism, climate issues and support for local communities. Today, the Carpathians can and should become one of the key engines of economic growth, investment and energy exports. Second, the Carpathian region should become an important part of EU policies with proper resources for their implementation.
So in the North, we work with the Baltic and Nordic countries. In the South, we have cooperation in the Danube region and around the Black Sea. We also work closely with the Balkan countries and with South-Eastern Europe. And the Carpathian Initiative turns the Carpathians into the strongest link and connection for all neighboring regions.
And I’m grateful to all of you – thank you very much for coming, thank you for supporting Ukraine on our path to the EU. Today, Ukraine and Serbia are here – two countries that will be in the European Union. Our peoples deserve this. Of course, other free European nations that really want to work together and share our values will also be part of a united Europe. And through the joint work of our communities, through our initiatives and, most importantly, through real results, we are moving closer to our main goal – full membership in the EU.
May this initiative – the Carpathian Initiative – help us move closer to that goal as well. May our Carpathian macro-region, and each of our nations, become only stronger.
Thank you.
Glory to Ukraine!
