ATHENS — Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias participated in a video conference of the foreign ministers of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) on Thursday, during which they discussed a series of issues of common regional interest. The foreign minister announced that Greece is ready to assume the SEECP presidency for the period July 1, 2021- June 30,2022.

Dendias referred to the need to strengthen cooperation between the countries of Southeastern Europe in matters of security, as well as in the promotion of democratic reforms and human rights in the context of the region's European prospect, according to a written statement after the end of the online meeting.

He said that they discussed the strengthening of interconnectivity, as well as ways for the region to jointly address the political and economic repercussions of the pandemic, particularly in sectors where the region is weak, such as in food and nutrition security.

"Regarding the economic challenges created by the pandemic and in the spirit of the 2nd Thessaloniki Forum 2020 results, we discussed the potential for regional coordination in investment, competitiveness and mobility issues in order to put our economies on a growth path to growth as soon as possible," he said.

"At the same time, I pointed out the need to jointly work for the reversal of the brain drain, as this is a matter directly linked with the economic and social future of the region," he added.