Balkan Adriatic countries call for more regional cooperation

Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-21 02:03:25|Editor: yan
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BELGRADE, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of Montenegro, Albania and Croatia voiced support at Friday's Adriatic Trilateral meeting for the regional economic projects that would promote energy independency, transport interconnection and stability and security in southeast Europe.

Srdjan Darmanovic of Montenegro, Ditmir Bushati of Albania and Marija Pejcinovic Buric of Croatia met in the coastal city of Budva in Montenegro for the third Adriatic Trilateral Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

A joint statement issued after the meeting revealed that ministers discussed Croatia's incentive to include Montenegro and Albania in the Three Seas Initiative (Adriatic -- Black Sea -- Baltic), which they estimated as one of the most important mechanisms for fostering security and economic development in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe.

Discussing energy independence of the region, ministers agreed to speed up the implementation of the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline and work jointly to address the financial support this project that would strategically interconnect Albania, Montenegro and Croatia.

According to the statement, ministers devoted special attention to "hybrid threats aiming to derail its Euro Atlantic and European integration processes", and concluded that "strengthening of institutions through reforms, strategic communication and credible integration processes should be stepped up in order to counter those negative influences and strengthen resilience, thus further reinforcing the stability and security of South East Europe."

"Ministers reaffirmed the importance of this strategic platform of cooperation between the three countries, as a valuable mechanism contributing also to the security, stability and prosperity of the South East Europe," the statement read.

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