President Sakellaropoulou to Politika: Western Balkans integration to EU is Greece's strategic targe

The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who is paying a three-day official visit to Serbia, in an interview with Belgrade's newspaper "Politika" said that Serbia is a key partner for the EU and the European integration of the Western Balkans is a strategic target of Greece's foreign policy.

"The integration of the Western Balkans to EU is a mutually beneficial strategic investement both for the EU state members and for the Western Balkan countries. This is the position that Greece has supported and promoted with consistency in the last ten years. The European Union is not complete without the Western Balkans," Sakellaropoulou said.

She also said that Greece steadily supports Serbia's European prospect adding however that the reforms necessary for its accession to EU should be met.

On Greece's stance on Kosovo regime and Athens' relations with Pristina, Sakellaropoulou underlined that "Greece's position, one of the few EU members that did not recognise the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo remains the same. In parallel, Greece is following a realistic and constructive approach in terms of Kosovo which aims at the strengthening of the stability and safety in the area".

On Monday evening, Sakellaropoulou will meet with Greek enterpreneurs operating in Belgrade.

On Tuesday, she will hold talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and later with Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. In the afternoon she will visit the parliament where she will meet with parliament president Vladimir Orlić.