Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated Greece’s support for Serbia and Albania’s EU accession during his arrival at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
“Greece has supported, in principle, the accession prospects of all Western Balkan countries,” Mitsotakis stated, before addressing the cases of Serbia and Albania specifically.
Regarding Serbia, Mitsotakis mentioned that he had sent a letter to European leaders requesting the opening of another chapter in the accession negotiations.
“I consider it absolutely essential to accelerate its path toward the European Union. It is the largest country in the Western Balkans, a cornerstone of stability in the region, and I feel the time has come to send a message to Serbia and its people that we mean what we say: we want Serbia to become a member of the European family,” he emphasized.
“Serbia knows what it must do on its part to align its foreign policy decisions with the common decisions of the European Union,” Mitsotakis added.
On the issue of Albania, Mitsotakis stated that Greece is “the guardian of Albania’s European trajectory,” adding that issues regarding the Greek national minority are not bilateral matters but are directly linked to Albania’s accession to the EU.
“Issues concerning the protection of the Greek national minority, securing their property rights and the right to self-identification are not bilateral issues. They are now matters that concern Albania’s relationship with the European Union,” stated Mitsotakis.
“I am satisfied that, for the first time in many years, there has been significant progress on Albania’s part in addressing these issues,” he said.
