Skopje, 1 July 2023 (MIA) – North Macedonia assumes the Chairpersonship of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) on Saturday.

The slogan "Bridging Divisions, Building Trust" will be the guiding theme of the Macedonian Chairpersonship of SEECP. Focus will be placed on reconciliation, regional cooperation and acceleration of Euro-Atlantic integration, President Stevo Pendarovski told the Summit of heads of state and government of SEECP member-states in Podgorica on Tuesday.

At the SEECP Summit in Podgorica, President Pendarovski said the country is ready to chair the SEECP, despite the obligations it has as the current OSCE chair.

“During our mandate, we will invest maximum efforts to use all opportunities through dialogue and mutual understanding and respect in order to achieve greater regional stability and prosperity. The rule of law, promotion of human rights and freedoms, and especially the fight against corruption will be among the priorities of our agenda, as well as the energy security of South-East Europe, the trans-European corridors and cultural exchange,” said Pendarovski.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani also said he believes the country has the capacity to chair both the SEECP and OSCE at the same time.

Osmani, who is set to hold a press conference Saturday on the country's SEECP Chairpersonship, assessed that North Macedonia is set to chair the process at a difficult time, considering the seriousness of the war in Ukraine. “It is precisely the war on the European continent, as well as the other regional challenges and open issues, that are the reason to return to the fundamental values upon which the SEECP is based – good-neighborly relations, stability, security, cooperation, commitment to integration within the Euro-Atlantic family of free and democratic peoples,“ said Osmani.

The South-East European Cooperation Process was established in June 1996, with the aim of deepening relations and cooperation between the countries of the region. The initiative strives to create a region founded on democracy, economic prosperity and complete integration of this part of the continent within the European and the Euro-Atlantic structures.

North Macedonia has been a part of the initiative since the very beginning, and has chaired it on two occasions in 2000-2001 and 2012-2013. The other members besides North Macedonia are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Croatia and Montenegro.

Montenegro chaired the SEECP until July 1.