OMM Redaksiyası
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the creation of a new eight-country group aimed at expanding trade, energy and security cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe. The grouping, known as the “Carpathian Eight,” officially began operating at a summit held in western Ukraine.
The alliance comprises Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. The European Union is also participating in the initiative. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Romanian President Nicușor Dan traveled to Ukraine for the launch of the alliance.
The creation of the “Carpathian Eight” follows cooperation that developed among regional partners after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Zelenskyy thanked the partner countries for helping keep trade and transport routes open.
The initiative envisages formalizing cooperation in economic ties, energy, logistics, cross-border trade and security. The new bloc is expected to attract $10.7 billion in investment.
According to the Ukrainian president, 50 agreements worth more than $1.15 billion in total were signed on the alliance’s first day of operation. Although details of the agreements were not disclosed, more than half were reportedly related to energy projects, particularly solar and wind power.
Zelenskyy said the region could become not only a transit corridor but also an energy source. In a post on his Telegram channel, he said the Carpathians could become an energy supplier to the European Union, in line with Europe’s policy of reducing its dependence on Russian energy.
About 550 business representatives attended the summit. Alongside agreements on security, infrastructure and various sectors, Zelenskyy described security as a key priority both now and in the coming years.
Talks continued over the weekend. Additional business and diplomatic meetings were expected to take place before the event concluded on Sept. 20.
