Vučić from Ukraine: "Energy and roads are key to connecting Serbia with the Carpathian Region"

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“We will talk today, as you have seen, with Donald Tusk. I have just heard that Robert Fico apparently cannot attend due to health reasons, but Nicușor Dan will also be here. It is important that I speak with the Romanian president about the construction of a highway via Vršac to Timișoara. We will also discuss the upcoming opening of the Belgrade–Budapest railway, as well as connections from there to Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic,” Vučić said in response to a journalist’s question about why it is important for Serbia to participate in this initiative.

Vučić added that energy connections would also be discussed, particularly links with Romania, which, he said, are very important, and later with Ukraine as well.

“So, there are many important issues and many important developments for us. We are working on this, and I believe it will be a good meeting,” Vučić said.

He added that the talks would also cover the use of EU funds for the entire Carpathian region and connecting Serbia’s Braničevo, Bor and Zaječar districts, as well as northern Serbia, namely Vojvodina, with other regions within the framework of the Carpathian Initiative.

“That is very important, so I believe it will be a good meeting,” Vučić said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, welcomed the heads of delegations from the Carpathian countries at the state residence in the mountain village of Huta, Ukraine.

The Carpathian Initiative brings together eight countries: Ukraine, Romania, Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Serbia.

The Carpathian Summit 8 is the founding summit of a new regional initiative that has brought together eight countries from the Carpathian region, EU institutions, global partners, local communities, businesses and investors.

The aim of the summit is to transform the shared geographical area into a space of security, economic development, investment and cross-border cooperation, ranging from political dialogue to the implementation of projects.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced back in the summer that the Carpathian Initiative, a new regional platform bringing together Ukraine, Serbia and six other European countries, would be launched in the autumn to strengthen cooperation in the areas of the economy, security, logistics, tourism and the reconstruction of Ukraine, with the support of the European Union.

As he said at the time, the idea of establishing the initiative stemmed from the fact that some countries were not prepared to support Ukraine by supplying weapons, but wanted to contribute in the humanitarian, security and economic spheres, as well as to the post-war reconstruction process.

The Carpathian Initiative brings together countries that are connected not only by their geographical location and shared borders, but also by common economic and security interests.

The initiative is not limited to the Ukrainian part of the Carpathians, but encompasses a broader regional area and represents a platform around which all participating countries can come together.

The goal of the Carpathian Initiative is to strengthen regional cooperation in logistics, the economy, security, culture and tourism. In the next phase, special programs for the Carpathian region are planned, including financial support and development projects.