THESSALONIKI – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed state leaders to the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit which began on Friday evening in Thessaloniki.

Mitsotakis is chairing the meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias, as Greece is handing over the rotating chairmanship to Montenegro as of July 1.

(Read also: Mitsotakis to Politico: It is Time to Get European Enlargement Back on Track)

Also attending the meeting besides Southeast European leaders is European Council President Charles Michel, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is joining the wrapping-up dinner that will follow statements by Mitsotakis.

PM’s meetings

Prior to the summit’s start, Mitsotakis met separately with three Balkan state leaders.

After meeting President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, the Greek premier said that the talks are an opportunity to “restart the talk about the Western Balkans” and EU accession, and to discuss “the new opportunities for regional cooperation, especially in the energy sector, given what has happened to Ukraine, and everyone’s desire to end dependence on Russian hydrocarbons as soon as possible.”

President Pahor noted that they discussed boosting collaboration between Greece and Slovenia in trade, investments and energy, while the two leaders also called for effective protection of the external EU borders and boosting collaboration within the EU to manage the migration issue.

At his meeting with President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, the Greek prime minister discussed prospects of further expanding collaboration in the sectors of economy, energy, protection of cultural heritage, education, tourism, sports, health and digitization. Mitsotakis underlined Greece’s firm support for Kosovo’s EU accession prospects as part of the Western Balkans’ integration, a long-term strategic goal of Greece.

In his meeting with Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia & Herzegovina Sefik Dzaferovic – a meeting joined by Charles Michel – Mitsotakis expressed Greece’s particular interest in the country’s stability and EU integration prospects, particularly ahead of national elections there on October and the political parties’ talks towards a political consensus.