Skopje, 26 October 2023 (MIA) — As part of North Macedonia's chairpersonship of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted Thursday the first meeting of political directors from the countries participating in the initiative.

According to the MFA in a press release, North Macedonia's is chairing the process from July 2023 through June 2024 under the motto "Bridging Divisions, Building Trust."

In addition to the participating countries' representatives, Thursday's meeting was also attended by representatives from the Regional Cooperation Council and the European Union.

"North Macedonia's SEECP chairpersonship priorities and planned activities were presented at the meeting," the release says, adding that the aim of the initiative is to strengthen regional cooperation and good-neighborly relations between the countries of Southeast Europe.

Participants exchanged opinions on current issues of interest and their impact on regional cooperation as well as on the region's European integration and cooperation on achieving sustainable development goals.

Participating in the SEECP are 13 countries from the region of Southeast Europe, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey.

North Macedonia has taken part in the process from its outset. This is the country's third chairpersonship, following the chairpersonships in 2000-01 and in 2012-13, the MFA notes. mr/