Late in the evening, the text of the Declaration of Athens co-signed by the 11 leaders of the countries who took part in the informal dinner hosted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was made public.
The 11 leaders of the Balkan countries expressed their unwavering support “to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, based on the values of democracy and the rule of law against Russian aggression” by co-signing the Declaration of Athens which was released late tonight.
The 11 leaders who participated in the informal dinner organized by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, agreed among other things that “there can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities , such as attacks on civilians and destruction of infrastructure and that all those responsible must be held accountable” as well as that there is an urgent need to speed up the path of the Western Balkan countries to the EU.
The Athens Declaration, which includes eight positions adopted by the leaders, was released in English, and also states that in addition to the Western Balkans, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, which are geographically adjacent to EU member states, share European heritage, and “as a strategic investment in peace, security and stability in Europe, it is important that these regions are embraced as full members of the European family”
The entire Declaration of Athens
We President Aleksandar Vučić, President Maia Sandu, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Jakov Milatović, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Prime Minister Borjana Krišto, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski , Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, in the presence of the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, met today in Athens, twenty years after the historic EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki, and issued the following statement:
1. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a pivotal moment for Europe, creating a new level of awareness of common principles, unity and common future within the EU. It is a critical moment for the security, peace and stability of our European continent. . The laws and principles that have contributed to a stable and predictable European security order for so long have been broken and we are once again witnessing the manifestation of the disastrous consequences of revisionism.
2. In the face of Russian aggression, we express our unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, based on the values of democracy and the rule of law.
3. During our discussions in Athens today, we expressed our support and appreciation for the serious efforts of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to set the principles for peace in accordance with the United Nations Charter, in his Peace Formula. We also welcomed the efforts of the UN General Assembly to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
4. We agreed that there can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities such as attacks on civilians and destruction of infrastructure and that all those responsible must be held accountable.
5. Twenty years ago, the Thessaloniki Summit recognized that the Western Balkans belong to the European Union. We firmly believe that today this statement remains more relevant than ever. The escalating war of aggression against Ukraine has revealed the urgent need for a strong, resilient and inclusive EU as a cornerstone of peace and prosperity between our peoples in these difficult times.
6. We emphasized that the Western Balkans, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, geographically adjacent to the EU Member States, have a common European heritage, history and a future defined by common opportunities and challenges. As a strategic investment in peace, security and stability in Europe, it is important that these regions are embraced as full members of the European family.
7. Today in Athens, we discussed the way forward to make this vision of Europe a reality. We underlined the importance of setting a goal to complete the vision of an EU enriched with the Western Balkans, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. We underlined the need for a revitalized and reoriented enlargement process, which would be tangible and credible, without circumventing the conditions set. We have expressed our commitment to support Ukraine and Moldova in taking the next steps in their accession process once they have completed the necessary reforms.
8. We firmly believe that 20 years after the Thessaloniki Summit and in light of the new geopolitical reality, the time has come to adopt a bold and ambitious end goal that will serve as a guide, inspiration and framework.
The Declaration of Athens in the original text:
We, President Aleksandar Vučić, President Maia Sandu, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Jakov Milatović, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers Borjana Krišto, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, in the presence of the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, met in Athens today, twenty years after the historic EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki, and issued the following statements:
1. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a pivotal moment for Europe, creating a new level of awareness of shared principles, unity and common future within the EU. This is a critical time for the security, peace and stability of our European continent. The laws and principles that contributed to a stable and predictable European security order for so long have been violated and we witness anew the manifestation of the disastrous effects of revisionism.
2. In the face of Russian aggression, we express our unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, based on the values of democracy and rule of law.
3. In our discussions in Athens today, we expressed support and appreciation for the earnest efforts by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in setting out the principles for peace in line with the UN Charter, in his Peace Formula. We also welcomed the efforts of the UN General Assembly to promote a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine.
4. We agreed that there can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities, such as attacks against civilians and the destruction of infrastructure and all those responsible must be held accountable.
5. Twenty years ago, the Thessaloniki Summit acknowledged that the Western Balkans belong to the European Union. We firmly believe that today this statement remains more relevant than ever. The escalating war of aggression against Ukraine revealed the urgent need for a strong, resilient and inclusive EU as a cornerstone of peace and prosperity among our peoples during these challenging times.
6. We stressed that the Western Balkans, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, geographically adjacent to EU Member States, have a common European heritage, history and a future defined by shared opportunities and challenges. As a strategic investment in peace, security and stability in Europe, it is important for these regions to be embraced as full-fledged members of the European family.
7. Today in Athens, we discussed the way forward, in order to make this vision of Europe a reality. We underlined the importance of setting ourselves a target for the completion of the vision of an EU enriched with the Western Balkans, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. We underlined the need for a re-energized and re-focused enlargement process that is tangible and credible, without shortcuts to the set conditions. We expressed our commitment to support Ukraine and Moldova to take the next steps in their accession process as soon as they have completed the necessary reforms.
8. We firmly believe that 20 years after the Thessaloniki Summit and in light of the new geopolitical reality, the time has come to adopt a bold and ambitious end goal that will serve as guide, inspiration and context.
Source: Skai
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