Athens, 18 August 2023 (MIA) – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is to host on Monday (Aug. 21) in Athens an informal dinner for the leaders of the Western Balkans and the EU member states of the region, including the North Macedonia’s PM Dimitar Kovachevski, MIA’s Athens correspondent reports on Friday.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, have accepted Mitsotakis’s invitation and will attend the dinner on the enlargement and the European future of the region and on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the EU-Western Balkans Summit and the "Declaration of Thessaloniki", Mitsotakis’s Office said.

The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic, the prime minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovacheski, the prime minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and the president of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo as well as leaders of the countries of the region that are EU members i.e. the prime ministers of Bulgaria, of Croatia and of Romania, will take part in the informal dinner on Monday.  Albania, which was also invited at President's level, will not be represented in Athens.

According to MIA’s sources, Mitsotakis' initiative underlines Greece's role as pillar of stability, peace and energy security in the Balkans and in southeastern Europe and the informal dinner for European future of the region is symbolic because on June 21 marked the 20th anniversary from the "Declaration of Thessaloniki" of the EU-Western Balkans Summit that essentially paved the way for the integration of many countries of the area to EU.