Nawrocki made the remarks on Tuesday in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where he attended the 11th Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Nawrocki said the United States remained the strategic partner of the Three Seas countries.
He said Poland was ready to become "the northern gateway" for US gas to the region, linking that role to the need to build "energy responsibility and independence."
The Three Seas Initiative brings together European Union countries located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas. It was launched by Poland and Croatia in 2015 to strengthen regional cooperation in transport, energy and digital infrastructure.
Nawrocki also said the region should begin talks on creating a Three Seas Development Bank to support infrastructure projects.
He said strengthening the Three Seas format was a strategic necessity for Poland and other countries in the region, especially as NATO works to reinforce its eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Plenković said this year’s summit was taking place in very different geopolitical conditions from the first such meeting. He pointed to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as major challenges facing the region.
At the same time, he said Three Seas countries were recording relatively strong economic growth.
“The countries of the region have very dynamic growth, account for one-third of Europe’s population and are developing well,” Plenković said. He added that cooperation with the United States was especially important for the region.
Pellegrini said close cooperation among Three Seas countries had helped create stronger rail, road and energy connections. He described this as “a wonderful investment” and “a sine qua non” for the region’s ability to function in current geopolitical conditions.
“Without the efforts of Poland and Croatia, this initiative would never have seen the light of day,” Pellegrini said, thanking the leaders of both countries.
The three leaders were also asked whether they had doubts about the United States’ loyalty to its NATO allies.
“I think neither I nor the participants of the Three Seas Initiative who met today have the slightest doubt that the United States is formally a strategic partner of Poland and the Three Seas Initiative, and for Poland it is also the most important ally,” Nawrocki said.
In Nawrocki’s view, the United States remains the foundation of the North Atlantic Alliance and a co-guarantor of security on NATO’s eastern flank.
"Europe has a chance to develop when transatlantic relations are built responsibly and in partnership," he said.
Nawrocki also pointed to the presence of US Energy Secretary Chris Wright at the summit, saying the region should focus on "building transatlantic ties rather than questioning Article 5."
The Three Seas Initiative was started by Polish President Andrzej Duda and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2015. Its first summit was held in Dubrovnik in 2016.
The initiative currently includes 13 EU countries: Poland, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Its strategic partners include the United States, Japan, the European Commission and Germany.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, prezydent.pl