The need to “get rid of Russian hydrocarbons as soon as possible” was also expressed by the Prime Minister before the start of the work of the Summit of the South East European Cooperation Process.
The Prime Minister had meetings with the President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, with the President of Kosovo Viosa Osmani and with the Chairman of the Collective Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sefik Dzaferovic Kyriakos Mitsotakis before the start of the SEE Europe Summit (SEECP).
During the meeting with the President of Slovenia, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of maintaining the EU’s enlargement dynamics. in the Western Balkans.
“This 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 this is the one that will 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 has happened to 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 both our countries to have stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans”, the Prime Minister noted in a short dialogue he had before their private meeting.
“I think this Conference is very important. “The issue of the Western Balkans is an issue that deserves our attention,” he said.
During the meeting with the President of Slovenia, the very high level of bilateral relations was confirmed and ways were discussed to further strengthen cooperation, especially in the fields of trade, investment and energy. Greece and Slovenia are already cooperating, at EU level, to tackle the energy price crisis and its effects on European citizens.
The two leaders also discussed the need effective protection of the EU’s external borders and strengthening 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, Biosa Osmani, highlighted the prospects for further expansion of bilateral cooperation, with special emphasis on the fields of economy, energy, protection of cultural heritage, education, tourism, sports, health and digitization.
The Prime Minister underlined Greece’s firm support for Kosovo’s European perspective in the context of the European integration of the Western Balkans, which is a long-term strategic goal of Greece.
The Prime Minister then had a private meeting with the Chairman of the Collective Bureau of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sefik Dzaferovic. The President of the European Council Charles Michel also participated in the meeting.
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.
