Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will represent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Heads of State and Government Summit in Sofia on June 10, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources have said.
The summit, hosted under Bulgaria’s rotating chairmanship, will be held under the theme “Strengthening Regional Unity for a Stable, Secure and Sustainable Future: Reflections on 30 Years of Partnership and Progress.”
Heads of state and government, foreign ministers from the SEECP’s 13 participating countries, and the secretary-general of the Regional Cooperation Council, the organization’s operational arm, are expected to attend.
Participants are also expected to adopt a summit declaration.
In his address, Fidan is expected to reiterate Türkiye’s support for enhanced cooperation in the Balkans based on the principles of regional ownership and inclusiveness, while emphasizing the importance Ankara attaches to the SEECP as one of the region’s main dialogue platforms and a founding member of the initiative.
Fidan is also expected to emphasize the strategic importance of the Balkans to both regional and broader international security, highlighting the need to strengthen good-neighborly relations and regional cooperation.
The Turkish foreign minister is expected to underscore Türkiye’s support for connectivity projects, including transportation and energy networks, to deepen regional integration and promote economic growth and prosperity.
Founded in 1996, the SEECP is the only regional cooperation platform that includes all Balkan countries. Its members are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova,
Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye.
Romania is set to assume the rotating SEECP chairmanship on July 1.
