Secretary Pompeo Delivers Virtual Remarks at the Three Seas Initiative 2020.
Transcript
warm. Welcome to Secretary Pompeo on Executive Vice President. Rest occur on also warmest. Welcome to our friends from Germany. President Steinmeier, please stay healthy. We know you have had toe self isolate and you cannot join us today. But we are hoping that you and your family will all stay well on duh that the nasty disease will not attack you or your family. We have just adopted a joint statement that reflects the progress made in the three C’s initiative in the last 16 months. I know highlight a couple off key issues. First Three Seas Initiative has made chap and developed into a focused on practical cooperation format. Joint aim is to support the development of the region or 112 million through cross border infrastructure projects in energy and digital connections and also transport connections for digital and also to smartening our transport and energy connections. We have come up with a smart connectivity concept. This allows the region to make sure that what we are building also on the old fashioned concrete infrastructure will also be supported on enhanced by the developments in technology. By the way, we do believe that in this we can actually leapfrogged the rest of the Europe because we do not have so many ingrown systems and or maybe because of our lagging behind in development, are more flexible to add up toe to new systems and and hence we hope that the rest of the Europe will also benefit from smart connectivity concept. The region’s investment need is according to i m f report, 1.15 billion euros. I would also like to stress that European Union is and will remain the largest investor in the region. But since we in the free six countries value of private sector participation in development, we have also created a foundation which will invest into the region private money proving yet again the concept that private works also for the development. The three C’s initiative is complemented by the U our and our free sees fund. Our objective for the fund is to raise 3 to 5 billions from investors. The fund we have to say WAAS political inspired, but it is 100% commercially driven. It serves as proof of concept that the region can developed with the help of the private money following the needs. What we politicians have described as our objectives it is on. I would like to stress on important extra tools to develop our region from the previous session. It has also come out that among us are people who see that the three C’s investment fund in the future could serve as a role model for future investment into the neighboring countries, notably Ukraine but also maybe Western Balkan countries. So if we can pull this off, it could have ah, wider regional and also European meaning in this concept because we know that we in the European Union, we always stressed that we need to hold out the hand to neighboring countries to help them to democratize, to develop their economies as well. And we believe that three C’s Fund and Three Seas Initiative can serve as a role model. So far, nine countries have made decisions to invest in the in the fund. Onda. I’m extremely happy that these developments have taken place during the last year on behalf. I’m really glad now to turn to our partners and welcome Secretary Pompeo Secretary Pompeo, your announcement in uni to invest in the region Actually indeed I believe something which we now see the result. We also encouraged Bye the hope that Germany, through its development bank, will also invest into the three C’s fund. But we already see No, but the freezes countries themselves have made on effort What you actually Secretary Pompeo challenged us to Dio. You said you will match each and every euro dollar whichever way we look at it, what we have got that we are not yet that bilion. But let’s be fair. We’re not that far away away from that neither so economic and strategic presence of our partners on also United States contributes to the transatlantic link. This is a truly European initiative With truly Atlantic measure treat, we do work together. It’s a positive and progressive idea to help more than 100 million people. So again, the development which they actually were missing for 50 years why they were behind the Iron Curtain. Majority of us have bean there on. Do we really, Arnold seeing a much better future ahead off us So Secretary pumper floor is now Here’s thank you. Thanks for the gracious introduction. I am really glad to join so many distinguished Had state and other leaders thank you all for being part of this. Especially want to thank you, Madam President, for your vision, your leadership, your personal engagement in your efforts to take the three C’s initiative to the next level. Also please that leaders from Germany, the European Union, are here too, which we could all been together in beautiful talent. But next time we will be face to face. I’m counting on it. Back in February, uh, president alluded I delivered a speech at the Munich security conference with a simple football thesis. My thesis was that the West is winning. Not everyone accepted it. But it’s right. We’re right. I stand by what I said that day we stand The West stands for the rule of law, democracy, freedom of expression. We drive economic growth through innovation. We protect our people on our way of life is the end Before the entire world look at the freedoms for which the people of Belarus and Iran and Hong Kong risk beatings and imprisonment. Look at the countries to which refugees from Libya and Syria decide they want to flee. Look at the universities to which top students from China flocked to study. No, no one can dispute this. Our way of life is synonymous with peace, prosperity and freedom like none other. For 75 years, the United States and the free nations of Europe have cooperated to protect that. That cooperation is endured under President Trump. Just since July visited the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria, Poland and Croatia. All nations represented here today, not to mention visits to other friends in the United Kingdom and Denmark, Cyprus, Greece and Italy. Those trips were all about finding ways to work together on everything from recovering from the pandemic, to protecting our people from the Chinese Communist Party to making sure energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean is done peacefully and with respect for sovereignty. I’m with you today, just as President Trump was three years ago, because we can keep winning together through the three C’s initiative. Look, we’ve got really opportunities in front of us to improve the lives of our people. We must seize them. We have an opportunity to jump start growth and attract private sector investment now, while raising living standards for the long term. Also, we have an opportunity to link together our infrastructure and energy markets in ways that will generate economic security for generations to come. That’s something that Deputy Secretary Menzies will address later today. We have an opportunity to keep European nations strong free and aligned with the United States. Is my country wants them to be it? Well funded, action oriented three season issues will help achieve all of these shared goals right now, as we sit here, the authoritarians in Moscow and Beijing are dangling infrastructure deals as a way to gain strategic and political leverage over free people. We’ve seen this with North Stream two. We’ve seen the crushing effects of Chinese infrastructure deals around the world, from laws to Montenegro into Pakistan. The three C’s initiative matters much more than it would have even five or 10 years ago. It’s so much more important, the United States does not want to see authoritarian powers again compromise the sovereignty or liberty of our free world friends. Indeed, we have demonstrated that result in that same speech in Munich last February announced, the United States will fund up to a billion dollars in three C’s infrastructure projects can’t wait to get started on that. That announcement has helped galvanize subsequent investments and enthusiasm for the very reason we’re here together today. Look, that’s real money for a free future. The United States has skin in the game, and we look forward to every member of the three CS initiative contributing as well. In the end, in the end, ultimately, the responsibility for freedom and prosperity lies with you. The early indications are fantastic. The early indications are that you’re meeting that moment. He had developed the necessary legal financial analytic tools to start making concrete investments. You’ve created your own investment fund, one that is run by a private entity free of political influence that’s powerful. And almost all the three C’s countries have already invested or committed to invest in the fund. It’s a tremendous foundation. You’ve come a long way since the summit and Lubljana, but you must go much further by the next leaders meeting to make the most initiatives vast potential. It starts, as it often does with more skin in the game. Those member states that have not yet invested in the fund should do so now, and other member states should make additional investments. Second government investments in the investment but are useful, but nothing could match the financial might of the private sector. You we must grow the fund by attracting private capital investment. To do that, the private sector needs a fair and level playing field. It’s all they asked for. It’s essential that national policies, because attractive as possible, not favor state on enterprises or put politics in the way of their investment. I’m also confident that the private investment will increase if we strengthen the anybody’s of corruption. Investors need to see basic protections in place all across the region. Commit to transparency, accountability and financial sustainability public infrastructure as reflected in the standards of the blue Network on Security, the Chinese comedy parties, just waiting to vacuum up your data, commit to excluding unreliable vendors from our critical telecommunications, energy and transportation networks to ensure continuity and greater progress between presidencies. You should develop a secretary as your face to the world, and finally, and I think this is what we hope to accomplish during this gathering, words must become action. Look, I understand you’re looking at a number of transnational projects. That’s great. I hear you to move the first of them from concept to shovel ready stages very quickly. Nothing nothing could better demonstrate that the three C’s initiative Israel and moving forward than to translate the concept into reality. As you move forward, you should know you will not be alone. America is with you. First and foremost, our financial commitment remains and you’ll hear from my colleague Undersecretary Keith Krach, who represents me on the DFC board of directors. Offers of other forms of cooperation are also on the table. Let us know how we could help. We’re proud to be part of this. We’re proud to assist you because our country’s air bound by so much more than fiber optic cables or pipelines and roads, we stand with our European friends on the mighty bedrock of freedom and democracy. Ah, foundation of friendship now and for the ages to come. Thank you. May God bless you and may God bless the United States and Europe. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Secretary Pompeo. Thank you for these words and indeed especially thank you for the reminder that the main reason we come together and we work together is to help. The development of our nation’s through our democratic mechanisms on also through investment both public and private. as I said, Indeed, our objective is toe rise. The capacity of the fund at least two free, but at best at five billion on taking together your pledge, our pledge which we have already pledged on hopefully also from other partners We’re still shot off. So indeed, now it is the time to go out and pitch for private capital. We will all do this cycle.