Head of president's office to meet with high-ranking US officials in preparation for Three Seas Initiative Summit

RIGA - In preparation for the upcoming 2022 Three Seas Initiative Riga Summit, Andris Teikmanis, Chief of Staff of the President of Latvia, will visit the US this Thursday and Friday for meetings with high-ranking US officials from US National Security Council, US Congress, US Department of State, US Chamber of Commerce and American-Central European Business Association in Washington.

Justine Deicmane, head of the president's press office, informed LETA that Latvia will host the Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum in June 2022. During his visit, Teikmanis is also expected to discuss US-Latvia diplomatic relations’ hundredth anniversary events in 2022, the spokeswoman said. 

The Presidential Chancery, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Latvian Investment and Development Agency are currently conducting a round of pre-summit and pre-forum consultations with all Three Seas Initiative countries.

As Latvia was taking over the presidency of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) from Bulgaria on July 9, 2021, President Egils Levits said at the summit in Sofia: "The Riga Summit will build upon successes of previous summits, and our key focus will be private investments, which are absolutely key. That is our primary mission: to make our region attractive for investors, and more specifically infrastructure projects that will enhance transport, energy and digital connectivity across the region". 

The Three Seas Initiative was founded in 2016 by 12 European Union member states: Latvia, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The United States of America, Germany and the European Commission have joined the initiative as partners.