ForMin Aurescu, Greek counterpart to host informal EU meeting featuring guests from Albania, North Macedonia

Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias co-chair today an informal videoconference of EU foreign ministers featuring their counterpart from Albania Olta Xhacka, and from North Macedonia Bujar Osmani. Also attending will be officials of European institutions: European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, and EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other western Balkan regional issues Miroslav Lajcak, according to a press statement released by Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE). The meeting is organised as a follow-up to the recent meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (May 10, 2021, Brussels) where a strategic discussion on the Western Balkans region, at the request of Romania and other member states, was held. The ministerial dialogue initiated and hosted by Aurescu and Dendias "will provide an opportunity for an exchange of views on the state of reforms undertaken by the two candidate countries, their objectives and expectations moving forward, and the prospects for opening EU accession negotiations." At the same time, the initiative is part of the intense dynamics of Romania's contacts with state officials of the two countries designed to support their European journey. In remarks to the meeting, Aurescu will highlight the strategic value of the Western Balkans region to the EU and show that "the enlargement process must remain a major priority of the European Union, given the transformative force of this European policy." AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)