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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will represent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Heads of State and Government Summit in Sofia on Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said.
The meeting, hosted under Bulgaria’s rotating chairmanship, will bring together leaders and senior officials from the 13 SEECP participating countries to discuss regional cooperation, security, connectivity and economic integration.
The summit will be held under the theme, “Strengthening Regional Unity for a Stable, Secure and Sustainable Future: Reflections on 30 Years of Partnership and Progress.”
Heads of state and government, foreign ministers and the secretary-general of the Regional Cooperation Council, the operational arm of the process, are expected to attend.
Participants are also expected to adopt a summit declaration.
In his address, Fidan is expected to reaffirm Türkiye’s support for stronger cooperation in the Balkans based on regional ownership and inclusiveness.
He will emphasize the importance Ankara attaches to the SEECP as one of the region’s main political dialogue platforms and as a founding member of the initiative.
Fidan will underline the strategic importance of the Balkans for both regional and wider international security.
He will also highlight the need to strengthen good-neighborly relations and deepen regional cooperation among the participating countries.
The Turkish foreign minister is expected to support connectivity projects, including transportation and energy networks, as tools for promoting regional integration, economic growth and prosperity.
Fidan is expected to reiterate Türkiye’s support for diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in the Russia-Ukraine war.
He is anticipated to call for continued dialogue between Iran and the U.S. to prevent a renewed rise in regional tensions.
The Turkish foreign minister is likely to address Israel’s policies in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon.
He will stress that Israel’s occupation and annexation policies are aimed at creating a permanent environment of instability and conflict in the Middle East.
Fidan is also expected to say that those actions remind the international community of its shared responsibilities based on peace and justice, and that international law and humanitarian values must be protected without exception.
Founded in 1996, the SEECP is the only regional cooperation platform that includes all Balkan countries.
Its members are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye.
The SEECP operates as a flexible, permanent consultation mechanism under one-year rotating chairmanships.
Türkiye previously held the rotating presidency in 1998-1999, 2009-2010 and 2020-2021.
Romania is scheduled to assume the SEECP chairmanship on July 1, 2026.
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