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The Summit for Cooperation in SE Europe started in Thessaloniki

The work of the Summit of the Process for Cooperation in Southeast Europe (SEECP), chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has begun.

Mr. Mitsotakis welcomed outside the Summit Hall the Heads of State and Government of the countries of SE Europe and the President of the European Council Charles Michel, followed by the family photo and after the welcome of the Greek Prime Minister, the Summit began.

As soon as the Summit is over, Mr. Mitsotakis will make a statement to the press and then the dinner will be attended by the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Solz.

Shortly before the start of the Summit, the Prime Minister had bilateral meetings with the President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani and the Chairman of the Collective Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Šefik Džaferović.

During the meeting with the President of Slovenia, Mr. Mitsotakis stressed the importance of maintaining the EU’s enlargement dynamics. in the Western Balkans.

“It is an opportunity to restart the debate on the Western Balkans. I wrote an article in Politico today where I pointed out that at European level we need to be more willing, more open and more honest on the issue of the Western Balkans. I imagine that is the issue. to be discussed today. ”

“The other issue we will focus on is the new opportunities for regional cooperation, especially in the field of energy, given what happened with Ukraine and the desire of all to get rid of Russian hydrocarbons as soon as possible. And of course it is in the interest of of our two countries to have stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans “, the Prime Minister noted in a short dialogue he had before their private meeting.

For his part, the President of Slovenia noted: “I think this Conference is very important. The issue of the Western Balkans is an issue that deserves our attention.”

The two leaders also discussed the need for effective protection of the EU’s external borders and enhanced cooperation within the EU to manage the migration problem and prevent the instrumentalization of migration flows.

The meeting between the Prime Minister and the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani highlighted the prospects for further expansion of bilateral cooperation, with particular emphasis on the fields of economy, energy, protection of cultural heritage, education, tourism, sports, health and digitization.

The Prime Minister underlined the strong Greek support for the European perspective of Kosovo in the context of the European integration of the Western Balkans, which is a long-term strategic goal of Greece.

Afterwards, Mr. Mitsotakis had a private meeting with Šefik Džaferović, Chairman of the Collective Bureau of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting was also attended by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis assured his interlocutor about Greece’s special interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina, its stability, security and European perspective.

Taking into account the ongoing political crisis in the country and in view of the holding of national elections on October 2, the need for consensual solutions was stressed with the main tool being the substantive and results-oriented political dialogue between all parties involved.

Source: Capital

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