President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Heads of the Foreign Ministries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Türkiye, Croatia and Montenegro who came to Ukraine to participate in the first ministerial meeting in the Ukraine – Southeast Europe format.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the representatives of these countries for helping Ukraine and supporting its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“All the meetings we have had in this format have yielded results; we have improved our mutual understanding. Thanks to the countries that have already held summits, we have gained support in demining, humanitarian aid, and military assistance,” the President said.
The countries of Southeast Europe have made an important contribution to the protection of human life. Now it is essential to strengthen cooperation to achieve a just peace for Ukraine and the entire region.
Representatives of the foreign ministries of Southeast European countries reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine both bilaterally and in multilateral formats.
Strengthening defense capabilities, developing human capital, providing humanitarian assistance, implementing infrastructure projects, ensuring global food security, and offering mutual support on the path to the EU – these are the issues that Southeast European countries are focused on in their relations with Ukraine.
The Ukraine – Southeast Europe format was launched in 2022. The first summit was held in Greece in August of that year, the second in Albania in February 2024, and the third in Croatia in October.
Today, this format was also extended to the ministerial level. The key issues of the meeting, chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, included enhancing regional cooperation, supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and collectively advancing toward the EU. The meeting concluded with the adoption of a Joint Communiqué.