President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimović of Montenegro, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donica Gërvalla-Schwarz of Kosovo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timčo Mucunski of North Macedonia, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Elisa Spiropali of Albania, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nevena Jovanović of Serbia in İstanbul.
During the meeting, bilateral relations between Türkiye and the countries, as well as regional issues, were discussed.
President Erdoğan expressed his appreciation for the second meeting of the Balkans Peace Platform held in İstanbul and thanked the country representatives for their contributions.
President Erdoğan stated during the meeting that it was important to address a wide range of issues, including border security, energy, technology, and transportation, and emphasised the significance of consultations conducted with a sense of regional ownership.
President Erdoğan noted that both the world and our region are facing various challenges and underlined that strengthening solidarity and mutual understanding among member countries of the Balkans Peace Platform has become increasingly important in this process.
President Erdoğan emphasised that Türkiye is making efforts to mitigate and end the effects of instability in our region and that peace-oriented initiatives are ongoing in many areas, particularly in Ukraine, Gaza, and Syria. He also stated that in the Balkans, it is essential to adopt an approach that draws lessons from past suffering while remaining focused on the future.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, the Presidency’s Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran, Chief Advisor to the President on Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çağatay Kılıç, and Chief Advisor to the President Sabri Demir.