According to the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Southeast Europe has become a region in which solutions to problems are being sought through dialogue and that the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) is the most comprehensive regional forum that has managed to bring together the countries of the region even in the most difficult periods.

In his introductory address at the SEECP foreign ministers’ meeting in Antalya, Cavusoglu expressed satisfaction that the summit was being held in Turkey, in the year that marks the 25th anniversary of its founding.

Turkey first chaired the SEECP 23 years ago.

“Since then, we have made great strides in achieving our goals. Today, we have Southeast Europe seeking a solution to the problem through dialogue. As the most comprehensive regional platform, SEECP has managed to bring together the countries of the region even in the most difficult periods. This allows us to have direct conversations about our problems without the need for anyone from outside, “Cavusoglu said.

During the Thursday summit, Turkey will hand over the role of SEECP chair to Greece.

also stressed the importance of the Euro-Atlantic integration process for the countries of Southeast Europe.

“The European Union can become a global player only when all the countries of Southeast Europe are its members. We call for accession negotiations with Tirana and Skopje to begin as soon as possible. We want to speed up the accession negotiations with Podgorica and Belgrade,” Cavusoglu said.

He expressed satisfaction with the fact that after 12 long years, local elections were held in the south-Bosnian city of Mostar. He added that this is an indication that things in Bosnia and Herzegovina can function when there is the will to do so.

Cavusoglu wished good luck to the newly elected High Representative in BiH, Christian Schmidt, and thanked the outgoing Valentin Inzko.