Athens, 13 June 2024 (MIA) - The path to Europe should resume and Greece will be among the countries that stand beside the Western Balkans, through the respect of democracy and the rule of law, and the hope that Europe becomes a broader family of all states, said Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis after his participation at the Summit of heads of state and government of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Skopje on Thursday, MIA reports from Athens.

FM Gerapetritis told national broadcaster ERT that he conveyed "the message of peace, solidarity and friendship to all countries of Southeast Europe", while recalling that Greece is a strong supporter of the EU perspective of the Western Balkans through the 2003 Thessaloniki Agenda.

"It is important to guarantee the European course of all countries in the Balkans and the broader region amid a period of great challenges, with two wars in our neighborhood. Of course, progress should develop on the basis of specific prerequisites that relate to the respect of democracy, rule of law, observance of all international agreements and consistent alignment with the EU, international law and minority rights," said Gerapetritis.