The country’s Foreign Ministry issued a press release regarding South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) chairmanship-in-office on Wednesday.

Noting that the SEECP, which was founded in 1996, is the most comprehensive regional cooperation forum that includes all 13 countries in South East Europe, the statement said: “Turkey identified its Chairmanship priorities taking into account global and regional issues that occupy the agenda of the countries in the region with a special emphasis on the fight against Covid-19, and will carry out its activities on the basis of ‘regional ownership’ and ‘inclusiveness’, which are the basic principles of the SEECP.”

Turkey’s previous Chairmanships were in 1998-1999 and 2009-2010.

South-East European Cooperation Process

The South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) was launched on Bulgaria's initiative in 1996. At the Bulgaria-chaired meeting in Sofia, the Southeast Europe (SEE) countries laid the foundations for regional co-operation for the purposes of creating an atmosphere of trust, good unneighborly relations and stability.

A special characteristic of SEECP is that it is an original form of co-operation among the countries in the region launched on their own initiative, and not on the initiative of some other international organization or countries. In that regard, the SEECP seeks to define itself as an authentic voice of SEE, complementary to the Stability Pact, Southeast European Cooperative Initiative or the Stabilization and Association Process.

The basic goals of regional co-operation within SEECP include the strengthening of security and the political situation, intensification of economic relations and co-operation in the areas of human resources, democracy, justice, and battle against illegal activities. It is the intention of the SEECP to enable its members to approach the European and Euro-Atlantic structures through the strengthening of good unneighborly relations and transformation of the region into an area of peace and stability. (ILKHA)