Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Friday attended an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP). The meeting focused on strengthening the cooperation in Southeast Europe based on experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing the event, Grlić Radman said that the socioeconomic crisis caused by the pandemic was something we would have to deal with in the months ahead as well. He welcomed the fact that Turkey had put cooperation among its SEECP presidency priorities, recalling that the Croatian EU presidency had activated the IPCR and mobilized an aid package worth EUR 3.3 billion for the Western Balkans.
“The EU is currently focused on enabling a long-term economic recovery and in that context Croatia welcomes the Economic Investment Plan for the Western Balkans announced at the Zagreb Summit in May, which should stimulate economic growth and speed up the convergence of the region with the EU,” Grlić Radman said. The minister concluded his address by underscoring that the current crisis offered an opportunity to strengthen regional and global cooperation, as well as to show unity and solidarity.
The meeting, held as part of Turkey’s SEECP presidency, saw the foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia. The participants underlined the importance of communication, solidarity and mutual assistance in times of crisis. Turkey is chairing the SEECP from July 2020 until June 2021.
On the margins of the meeting, Grlić Radman held bilateral talks with Moldovan Foreign Minister Oleg ?ulea on intensifying bilateral cooperation, EU integration and regional cooperation. Grlić Radman also met with his Albanian counterpart Gent Cakaj for talks on supporting Albania’s European integration and with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoglu to discuss strengthening the two countries’ economic cooperation.