site.btaRegional Cooperation and Peace Feature on Agenda of Second Meeting of Balkan Peace Platform

Issues of regional cooperation and peace were on the agenda of the second ministerial meeting of the Balkan Peace Platform, which was hosted by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul.

Friday’s meeting of the Balkan Peace Platform, which was founded in July last year at Turkiye’s initiative, took place at the Ciragan Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus.

At the meeting, attended by the foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia, topics such as regional security, the fight against illegal migration, energy security, EU-related processes, and multilateral cooperation were discussed. Turkiye once again emphasized its commitment to strengthening dialogue and stability in the Balkans.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konakovic, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, Albanian Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Affairs Elisa Spiropali, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of North Macedonia Timcho Mucunski, Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric, and Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimovic, Anadolu Agency reported.

During the meeting participants discussed a wide range of topics, including regional issues, joint border management and the fight against illegal migration, cooperation and coordination in EU processes, energy security, digitalization, industry, youth, technology, transport corridors, and connectivity.

The meeting also addressed the importance of the principle of regional ownership, as well as reaffirmed that the Balkan Peace Platform is not an alternative but rather a complement and support to existing regional and international processes.

Turkiye’s top diplomat Hakan Fidan once again emphasized Turkiye’s commitment to strengthening dialogue and stability in the Balkans. Prior to the meeting, the minister held bilateral talks with the participants, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkiye maintains multifaceted cooperation with the countries of the Balkan region, Turkiye’s state broadcaster TRT Haber noted. Among the topics discussed was Turkiye’s willingness to establish a basis for cooperation in the Balkans founded on concrete projects that would contribute to peace, dialogue, and prosperity, as well as the need for the EU enlargement process to be conducted within an inclusive framework that takes regional sensitivities into account, A Haber reported.

The total volume of Turkiye’s trade with the countries participating in the Balkan Peace Platform is approximately USD 7 billion, while its total investments in these countries amount to around USD 8.9 billion. Turkiye’s active participation in the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), the only platform bringing together 13 Balkan countries, also promotes regional cooperation.