President Erdoğan: Rising discriminatory trends across Europe endanger Europe’s domestic peace and future
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Emphasizing the importance of the SEECP’s success in terms of not only the Balkan countries but also Europe’s peace, stability and prosperity, President Erdoğan said: “The Process also provides critical contributions to the integration of the Balkan countries with Euro-Atlantic organizations. Turkey has always given strong support for the Balkans’ integration with Euro-Atlantic organizations and it will continue to do so.”
President Erdoğan continued: “The decision the EU is to make regarding North Macedonia and Albania’s accession negotiations will affect the future of the entire region. The EU conducting this process in a manner contravening its commitments will harm the peace and stability in the region as well as its own credibility.”
“We see that the EU’s enlargement policies have recently been hijacked by certain narrow-minded populist circles. Rising discriminatory and exclusionary trends across the continent endanger not only Europe’s domestic peace and future but also its potential to instill hope,” stated President Erdoğan, adding: “We believe that European leaders will act in a visionary manner and hold to the ideal of the Balkans’ integration with Europe.”
“IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO REINFORCE THE DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKS AMONG OUR COUNTRIES”
“We should boost our economic cooperation as the Balkan countries in order to increase our competitive strength in a globalizing world,” said President Erdoğan, and underscored: “As the world gets more and more digitalized, it is unimaginable for us to lag behind on this issue. It is important for us to reinforce the digital infrastructure networks among our countries.” President Erdoğan went on to say: “As the Balkan countries, one of our most precious resources is our young populations with technology literacy. It is a must for us to become a region that meets the economic necessities of the 21st century and encourages technological innovation.”
