Leaders from the Balkans and the highest officials of the European Union will gather tonight in Athens on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Thessaloniki Declaration, and the focus of the meeting will be the European future of the region.
The informal dinner, hosted by Greek Prime Minister Kirijakos Mitsotakis, will be attended by the Presidents of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačeski, and the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto.
The invitation of the Prime Minister of Greece, one of the five EU members that did not recognize Kosovo, was also received by Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti, while Albania, which was invited at the level of the president, will not have a representative.
It was announced that the Prime Ministers of Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, Andrej Plenković, Nikolaj Denkov and Marcel Čolaku, will also attend the meeting, three EU members who were not part of the Union at the time of the summit in Thessaloniki, while the President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar was prevented from attending.
Mitsotakis' invitation was accepted by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
The Greek media state that Mitsotakis' initiative highlights the role of Greece as a pillar of stability, peace and energy security in the Balkans and Southeast Europe.
The Thessaloniki Declaration, adopted at the summit of the Western Balkans and the EU in Thessaloniki in 2003, expressed support for the entry of the countries of that region into the Union. The summit played a key role in opening the door for the entry of several countries of the region into the EU.
Along with EU enlargement and the European future of the region, the meeting should also discuss energy security in the Balkans and Southeast Europe and other topics.
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