Top Polish officials talk Western Balkans' EU accession in London
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
09.07.2018 08:30
The Polish prime minister and foreign minister are to head to London for a Western Balkans summit which aims to support European Union expansion.
Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz. Photo: Kancelaria Sejmu/Rafał Zambrzycki
Ahead of the two-day summit which starts on Monday, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Artur Lompart said the Western Balkans are part of Europe and should join the bloc when they are ready.
He added that the summit, bringing together Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia and some of the European Union countries which back their future in the bloc, would discuss economic and infrastructure reform.
According to the UK, the summit will focus on increasing economic stability, strengthening regional security cooperation, and facilitating political co-operation.
Poland, which has been a vocal advocate of Western Balkan accession to the European Union, was invited to join the summit because it will host the event in 2019.
“The invitation for Poland to take part … acknowledges of our role and activity in European policy and our consequential support for the policy of expansion and the pro-European ambitions of the Western Balkan states,” the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement.
Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and the UK are to take part in the summit alongside Poland and the six Western Balkan countries. (vb/pk)
Source: IAR, MSZ, gov.uk