Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Igor Lukšić participated, at the invitation of head diplomats of Germany and the UK, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Philip Hammond, at the VI ASPEN South-Eastern European foreign ministers’ conference, which took place in Berlin yesterday.
The conference noted that the Western Balkans’ countries have a clear EU accession perspective and that the region as a whole is very important to Europe in political, security, and economic terms. It was concluded that Montenegro is making a notable progress and the event commended the progress made individually by the region’s countries. The conference also discussed the importance of completing reforms, which will help the countries continue meeting their European agendas successfully.
The conference hosted a panel discussion on the topic of Western Balkans on the road to European integration – sustainable progress and reforms, during which the region’s head diplomats reiterated their commitment and the importance of the European perspective for the long-term stability and development of the Western Balkans, which, as the conference noted, has been and will remain at the heart of Europe.
The second panel on the topic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and revitalising its European process presented a new German-British initiative as a framework for the new strategic approach to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was welcomed by all conference participants. In that context, it was reiterated that the EU integration is a key instrument in transforming the region.
The conference also discussed improving regional economic and infrastructure cooperation and the importance of linking all the countries in South-Eastern Europe, as well as the need for a clearer articulation of the Western Balkans’ accession perspective.
The VI Aspen Conference was hosted at the Aspen Institute in Germany, under the auspices of the foreign ministries of Germany and the United Kingdom.
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