Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of joining the United States, Germany and Japan in becoming an observer state for the Three Seas Initiative.

The Government is committed to maintaining strong relationships with our European partners, both bilaterally and through multilateral groups and arrangements. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is following the development of the Three Seas Initiative through our Embassies in the region, including by supporting UK business engagement with the Initiative. The FCDO is aware of interest in the Initiative on the part of a range of our international partners. We continue to engage with the Initiative and its member states, and are open to the possibility of deepening our interaction with it.