On the sidelines of the work of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis participated today in New York in a Quadrilateral Meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Bulgaria Ivan Kodov, Romania Luminita Odobescu and Croatia Grlic Rudman.

The progress of the European course of the Western Balkans and the role that the EU can play in promoting stability in the region were discussed. The four Ministers agreed on the need to strengthen the EU’s footprint in the region, in order for the Western Balkan countries to undertake all the necessary reforms that will eventually make them members of the European family.

The ministers of the Balkan EU member states also discussed issues of regional development, giving particular importance to energy interconnection projects, as well as to the promotion of investments in the Balkan region. Mr. Gerapetritis pointed out that Greece considers energy networks as projects that guarantee both economic development and the consolidation of friendship and cooperation between the Balkan peoples.

This was followed by a working lunch of the foreign ministers of the South East European Cooperation Process.

The EU’s role as a factor guaranteeing stability and economic development in the Balkans was at the center of the informal Working Lunch of the Foreign Ministers of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) on the theme “Using competitiveness in South East Europe to improve economic growth and of convergence with the EU”.

In the framework of the lunch, they exchanged views on the economic prospects of the countries of South-East Europe in their attempt to approach the performance of the EU countries. The discussions focused on the SEECP members who wish to join the Union, namely the Western Balkan States and the Moldova.

Mr Gerapetritis confirmed Greece’s firm support for the European path of the Balkans. However, at the same time, it was emphasized in all directions, the countries concerned should demonstrate the necessary zeal for the implementation of reforms, especially in the areas of the Rule of Law, the protection of human rights, the fight against corruption and the integration of the Community acquis.

It is noted that the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) is the only scheme in which all the countries of South East Europe and Kosovo participate, and that exclusively by using the names of the capitals, not other symbols. Bosnian diplomat Amer Kapetanovic was recently elected Secretary General of SEECP.