LONDON – Joint Declarations on Regional Cooperation and Good Neighbourly Relations and on War Crimes and Missing Persons in the Framework of the Berlin Process, signed by the Heads of Government during Summit in London, have commended positive progress in resolving bilateral disputess and welcomed continuing of stocktakes in Vienna and Skopje in the next six months.
At the Western Balkans Summit Leaders Meeting on July 10th, all Berlin Process participants agreed that, in order to prosper in the future, they needed to continue to deal with the legacy of the past. To that end, all 14 Berlin Process participants signed the Joint Declaration on Regional Cooperation and Good Neighbourly Relations in the Framework of the Berlin Process, looking forward to future annual reports from governments of the Western Balkans on further progress.
Noting the February 2018 EU Commission strategy for credible enlargement perspective and enhanced EU engagement with Western Balkans, Declaration also commits the region to overcome the legacy of the past and to solve outstanding billateral issues “as a matter of urgency”.
It has also commended the historic agreement signed by Foreign Minister of Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov and Foreign Minister of Greece Nikos Kotzias on the Name Issue, signing of the Treaty on Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and cooperation signed by PM of Bulgaria Borissov and PM of Macedonia Zaev, its subsequent ratification during Vienna Summit and the contribution of the civil society in improving regional cooperation.
Full text of the Declarations can be found HERE.