SARAJEVO, June 19 (BV) – Greece and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) pledged renewed efforts to advance the European integration of the Western Balkans during talks in Sarajevo on Thursday, amid growing concerns over the slow pace of EU enlargement.
RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović hosted Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis at the organisation’s headquarters, where discussions focused on regional cooperation, the Western Balkans’ EU perspective, and the implementation of the South East Europe 2030 (SEE2030) Strategy.
The meeting also reviewed the outcomes of recent South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) meetings in Sofia, where regional leaders endorsed the RCC Annual Report and the mid-term update of the SEE2030 Strategy.
Looking ahead to Greece’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2027, the two officials discussed efforts to revive the so-called “Thessaloniki momentum”, a reference to the 2003 EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki that reaffirmed the region’s European future.
“Greece has been a steadfast partner of regional cooperation and a strong supporter of the RCC,” Kapetanović said.
“Through SEECP, SEE2030 and the RCC’s regional programmes, we are building a more connected, resilient and competitive South East Europe, firmly anchored in our shared European future,” he added.
Gerapetritis reiterated Greece’s support for regional cooperation and the European perspective of the Western Balkans, while praising the RCC’s role in strengthening dialogue and delivering practical regional initiatives.
He highlighted the importance of SEECP as the region’s broadest political cooperation framework and welcomed the RCC’s contribution as its operational arm in implementing agreed regional priorities.
Kapetanović thanked Greece, a founding member of SEECP and a participant in the RCC Board, for its continued political and institutional support, stressing that active engagement by member states remains crucial to addressing emerging regional challenges and delivering tangible benefits for citizens and businesses.
The meeting took place at the RCC headquarters in Sarajevo’s Building of Friendship between Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a facility reconstructed with substantial financial assistance from Greece after the Bosnian war and inaugurated in 2007 as a symbol of solidarity and regional cooperation.