Meloni Urges Stronger EU Focus on Western Balkans
(MENAFN) Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday urged a revitalized European dedication to the Western Balkans, emphasizing the region’s central role in Europe.
"The Western Balkans do not lie on Europe's finger or beyond our continent. They are in the very heart of our continent," she stated at the European Political Community summit held in Tirana.
The Western Balkans, including Albania, are situated near Italy, just across the Adriatic Sea, and the European Union has been striving to bring the region into closer alignment with the broader continent.
"Italy is committed in Brussels, so (is) asserting a strategic approach to the Western Balkans … to provide these countries with a clear EU integration perspective," Meloni declared, underlining Rome's dedication to offering the region a definitive path toward EU accession.
She further underscored Europe's duty to maintain solidarity in spite of differences: "Several (countries) have decided not to join the EU. Others (are) inspired to be part of it. Both are no less European than the 27 EU member states."
Addressing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Meloni reaffirmed backing for Kyiv, as the war with Russia extends into its fourth year.
"Every day, the heroism and tenacity of the Ukrainian people remind us what Europe is and what the deepest aspect of our common identity is: freedom."
She concluded with a fervent affirmation of European ideals: "We need to regain awareness, which is mainly awareness of who we are, what the European civilization is, of great achievements it has accomplished across the history of humankind."
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