Dendias: Greece committed to EU prospects of western Balkans

Greece fully supports the European prospects of the countries in the Western Balkans, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Friday after his meeting with his Bosnia-Herzegovina counterpart, Dr. Bisera Turkovic, in Sarajevo.

"In a few years, we could envisage a Union in which at least a quarter of its members are the Balkan countries. This would have been inconceivable 30 years ago," he said.

"Our commitment is long-term. It is reflected in the Thessaloniki Agenda that was approved in 2003. We remain fully committed to this process because we believe that it is the only path toward peace, stability and prosperity in the region and in the EU as a whole.”.

Dendias said the EU must help the Western Balkan countries in coping with the pandemic, announcing that Greece will provide financial support to three hospitals in the country.

On her side, Turkovic thanked Greece for its support in rebuilding Bosnia-Herzegovina and of the country's EuroAtlantic prospects, while noting that this must be a priority for the EU as well.

She said that bilateral relations with Greece were good but "can always be improved" and asked for EU support in dealing with migration.