Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Brussels to participate in the proceedings of the EU-Western Balkans Summit.

In his statements upon arrival, Mitsotakis addressed both Belgrade and Tirana. “I would like to make a special reference to two countries that will be hosted here at the European Council building. First, Serbia: a few days ago, I had the opportunity to send a letter to my counterparts, asking them to align with the European Commission’s proposals so that we can open another chapter in the accession negotiations regarding Serbia,” Mitsotakis specifically stated, adding:

“I consider it absolutely essential for Serbia to accelerate its path toward the European Union. It is the largest country in the Western Balkans, a key player for stability in the region, and I feel that now is the time to send a message to Serbia and the Serbian people, clarifying what we mean when we say that we want Serbia as a member of the European family. Serbia knows what it needs to do on its part to align its decisions on foreign policy with the collective decisions of the European Union. However, I believe that now is the time to send a clear message to Serbia that its rightful place is in the European family.”

Referring to Albania, the Prime Minister emphasized: “The second country I want to refer to is Albania. Following yesterday’s second Intergovernmental Conference, which proposed opening another negotiation chapter, I want to stress once again that Greece is essentially the custodian of Albania’s European path. Issues concerning the protection of the Greek ethnic minority, the safeguarding of their property rights, and their right to self-identification are no longer bilateral issues. These are matters that now pertain to Albania’s relationship with the European Union.”