Gerapetritis in Sofia: Greece's strategy in the Balkans and Turkey
Common stride sought in Sofia by Southeast European states at SEECP summit - Athens' positions on Western Balkans and energy security
At a pivotal geopolitical moment for the wider Balkan region, the Summit and Ministerial Meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) is taking place in Sofia, with Greece represented by Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis.
The process, which involves a total of 13 states, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Turkey, Albania, and North Macedonia, marks 30 years of existence. The agenda will be dominated by issues of security, economic and energy cooperation, competitiveness, prospects for enhancing multilateral synergies under the new reality prevailing internationally amid the two wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as progress in the EU accession process of the Western Balkans.
The Greek plan for enlargement: The Western Balkans 'favorite'
Greece enters the process as a force that has historically acted in favor of security and stability in Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, as the oldest member of NATO and the European Union in the region, but also as the country that presides over accelerating European enlargement.
Athens' goal, moreover, during the Greek presidency of the EU, is for at least one Western Balkan state to join the European family, with Montenegro's candidacy gathering the strongest likelihood.
The Greek government is already promoting this initiative, stating its readiness to provide know-how to the Balkan states so that the institutional accession conditions can be fulfilled as soon as possible. In this context, the Foreign Minister travels to Belgrade on Friday, while next week he will also visit Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Message to Tirana: 'No concession on human rights'
As repeated from the Greek capital — and especially on the occasion of the latest developments in the investment planned by the Albanian government in Svërnica, which also involves properties of members of the Greek National Minority — concessions on rule of law and human rights issues will not be tolerated.
The geopolitical battle with Moscow and Greece as the 'Gateway of the East'
For the EU of 27, enlargement is once again high on the priority agenda, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and as in recent years there has been an increasing influence of third players in the Western Balkans, notably Moscow. China's presence in the wider region is also strong, while Turkey plays a role, traditionally, with the European Union once again paying particular attention to the geopolitical dimension of the Balkans, especially in combination with energy security.
Especially on the latter, Greece now appears in Southeast Europe as an energy hub, as it promotes the activation of the Vertical Corridor, through which American natural gas will reach Central and Eastern Europe via Greek facilities.
'Greece in a few years will be the gateway of the East and the South to Europe. It will be the main hub for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. It will have a green energy interconnection and perhaps in the future hydrogen with Egypt via the GREGY pipeline. It will be the country that will have the Vertical Corridor, ensuring energy for Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine,' said Mr. Gerapetritis at the conference 'Thessaloniki 4.0: Innovation and Investment in a challenging Global Environment'.
Another issue expected to concern the leaders and foreign ministers of Southeast European states is cooperation in addressing hybrid threats, while bilateral and multilateral contacts are expected to take place on the sidelines of the Summit. It is worth noting that Turkey will be represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. As of this hour, a meeting between Mr. Gerapetritis and his Turkish counterpart was not officially scheduled, but the two men are accustomed to speaking at least briefly when they attend such forums.
Chill in Athens-Ankara relations: Will there be a Gerapetritis-Fidan tête-à-tête?
Relations between Athens and Ankara have recently cooled, mainly due to the circulating rumors about the submission of the Turkish bill, through which, according to leaks, the neighbor's long-standing revisionist positions in the Aegean would be legislated, but also because in the Turkish capital they appear annoyed by the series of Greek initiatives, particularly the development of the Armed Forces in the Aegean, Evros, and Cyprus. Violations of national airspace by Turkish fighter jets and drones have also increased.
From the Greek capital, however, they repeat that communication channels remain open and that the government will not enter into a dialogue process based on leaks and reports from the Turkish press. It is recalled that in less than a month, Kyriakos Mitsotakis will travel to Ankara to participate in the NATO Summit, though a meeting with Tayyip Erdogan is not yet on the horizon.
