Summit declaration to address importance of regional cooperation and ownership in promoting sustainable development, security, stability and prosperity
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will on Monday attend the summit of Heads of State and Government of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Albania.
Fidan will represent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
The summit, organized under the theme Promoting Stability and Prosperity through Regional Cooperation and EU Integration, which was set by the Albanian Presidency, will be attended by heads of state and government and foreign ministers from the 13 participating countries of the SEECP as well as representatives from the European Union.
The summit declaration will address the importance of regional cooperation and ownership in promoting sustainable development, security, stability and prosperity.
The declaration is also expected to note Türkiye's efforts for the end of the Russia-Ukraine war and express satisfaction with these efforts.
-Maintaining peace and stability in the region
In the summit declaration, Fidan is expected to highlight that Türkiye is an inseparable part of the Balkans and maintaining peace and stability in the region is one of Ankara's foreign policy priorities.
He is expected to mention Türkiye's active support for international mechanisms in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, noting that the country has contributed to the presence of international military forces such as NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the European Union Force (EUFOR) missions.
In this context, Fidan is expected to state that Türkiye will take over the command of KFOR again in October.
He is expected to underscore that maintaining peace cannot be achieved through a military presence alone, stressing the importance of inclusive and constructive dialogue.
Fidan will underscore that, with this understanding, Türkiye continues to support the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and has contributed to constructive and inclusive dialogue within the region through trilateral consultation mechanisms between Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
Fidan is also expected to refer to the interconnected future of the countries in the region and stress the importance of continuing regional cooperation under the SEECP framework and strengthening connectivity.
He will also note that Türkiye's investments in the Balkan countries have reached $20 billion, with Turkish companies active in sectors such as construction, energy, infrastructure, tourism and manufacturing.
Fidan will also recall that through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), schools and hospitals have been built in the region, historical structures of shared heritage have been renovated, and humanitarian development in the region has been supported through scholarships and academic exchange programs offered by Turkish institutions.
He is also expected to underline that the Russia-Ukraine war can only be resolved through diplomacy and comprehensive negotiations for a just and lasting peace.
In addition, he will call on the international community to support the establishment of a fair and lasting peace in the face of the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
Fidan is also expected to state that Israel's recent attacks on Iran threaten stability in the Middle East and global peace.
The SEECP is a regional forum for dialogue and cooperation among Southeast European countries.
The 13 participating countries are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye.
