Thursday, August 28, 2014

Meeting of Merkel and PMs of Western Balkan countries. "All have the chance to become members of the EU" (FYROM news)

BERLIN - A meeting of the prime ministers of Western Balkan countries with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose initiative brought about a conference devoted to the development of the European perspective of the region, began in Berlin on Friday afternoon.

Taking part in the meeting are European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and the prime ministers of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia.

The meeting will be followed by a press conference featuring as speakers Merkel, Barroso, and Edi Rama, the prime minister of Albania, country that currently chairs the South East Europe Cooperation Process.


After that, the German chancellor will host a working dinner for the prime ministers.

Ahead of the conference, Merkel said that the idea of her government was to bring together representatives of the region to show that we had come a long way from an “against each other” to the “with each other” situation today.

Merkel expressed confidence that Europe had played a crucial role on that road to unity, the German government has said in a release.

The German chancellor believes the only possible way has been to give all these countries a common European perspective.

  • It means they all have the chance to become members of the EU, Merkel said.
The Western Balkan day in Berlin began with a meeting of the ministers of economy and finance, which featured the participation of European Commissioner for Energy Guenther Oettinger. The meeting was opened by Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Minister Economic Affairs and Energy Sigmar Gabriel, who called for increasing investment in the region.

A meeting of foreign ministers of the Western Balkans, featuring the participation of European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele, is taking place concurrently with the Merkel’s and Barroso’s talks with the prime ministers.

***AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool

http://www.tanjug.rs/news/142911/meeting-of-merkel-and-pms-of-western-balkan-countries.htm
28/8/14
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1 comment :

  1. Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s response to a journalist’s question regarding a reference to the FYROM name issue in the Joint Communiqué of the Conference of Western Balkan States, in Berlin...

    Friday, 29 August 2014

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras stated the following in response to a journalist’s question regarding a reference to the issue of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in yesterday’s Joint Communiqué from the Conference of Western Balkan States, in Berlin:

    “Greece supports the negotiation process with the mediation of the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy, Matthew Nimetz, for finding a mutually acceptable solution to the FYROM name issue. The Greek position has been stated with absolute clarity and is a responsible stance, in accordance not only with national sensitivities, but also with European perceptions of international legality. Thus, the key to substantial progress in this process does not lie in Athens.

    As the Greek side has stressed repeatedly, the name issue is not bilateral, but is an issue of respect for international law, an issue that pertains to good neighbourly relations and regional stability. As such, it is an issue that, for the European Union, is related to the general implementation of the Copenhagen criteria. Moreover, with regard to the country in question, there are also other critical pending issues that were noted in the latest relevant conclusions of the European Council, in December 2013.”
    http://www.mfa.gr/en/current-affairs/statements-speeches/foreign-ministry-spokespersons-response-to-journalists-question-regarding-reference-to-the-fyrom-name-issue-in-the-joint-communique-of-the-conference-of-western-balkan-states-in-berlin.html
    29/8/14

    ReplyDelete

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