Athens, 21 August, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was tonight part of the dinner with the leaders of the countries of the Western Balkans, in which the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of of the European Council, Charles Michel, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Nikolai Denkov, and the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu.
There was a discussion about the invasion and unprovoked aggression of the Russian Federation on Ukraine, in which case unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine was emphasized, while responsibility and punishment for crimes committed during the war and other atrocities on civilians.
At this dinner, which also corresponds to the 20th anniversary of the Thessaloniki Summit, where the perspective for full membership of the entire Western Balkans was made clear, the support for enlargement and membership in the European Union and the way forward was reiterated.
Regional issues were also discussed. In his intervention, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized that all countries aspiring to join the European Union must adhere to and implement democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and good neighborliness. A condition for good neighborliness is mutual recognition, de-jure and de-facto. There will always be minorities, but symmetry and balance are required in respecting minorities based on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Prime Minister emphasized.
At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was also approved which called for re-energizing and re-focusing on the enlargement process for EU membership; unwavering support for Ukrainian independence; the punishment of crimes committed during the war and the call for responsibility to the perpetrators of the crimes.
Last modified: August 22, 2023