Zelenskyy to visit Croatia for summit with Balkan countries – media

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Croatia on Wednesday to take part in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit hosted by the city of Dubrovnik.

Source: N1 citing sources in the Croatian government, European Pravda reports

Details: The summit in Dubrovnik will be the third in this format – the first was held in Athens in August 2022, and the second in Tirana in February 2024.

The purpose of the meeting in Dubrovnik is to demonstrate the solidarity and support of the countries of Southeastern Europe for Ukraine, which has been resisting Russian aggression for two and a half years.

A source in the Croatian government has said that Zelenskyy and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković are expected to be joined by high-ranking officials from 12 Balkan countries, including three heads of state, five prime ministers and four foreign ministers.

In particular, the summit will be attended by Presidents Nataša Pirc Musar of Slovenia, Jakov Milatović of Montenegro and Vjosha Osmani of Kosovo, as well as Prime Ministers Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece, Dimitar Glavchev of Bulgaria, Edi Rama of Albania, Hristijan Mickoski of North Macedonia and Borjana Kristo of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Türkiye, Serbia, Romania and Moldova will be represented by their foreign ministers. The summit will also be attended by European Commission Vice President Dubravka Šuica and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretary-General Mathias Cormann.

The summit participants are expected to adopt a joint declaration, the text of which is still being discussed, but it will be in line with the declarations of the two previous summits.

Key points of the declaration include strong condemnation of Russian aggression, support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, including the temporary-occupied Crimean peninsula, support for Zelenskyy's Peace Plan, calls for investigations into war crimes in Ukraine, support for Ukraine's aspirations for EU and NATO membership, and support for the country's energy security and post-war reconstruction.

On the sidelines of the conference in Dubrovnik, Plenković and Zelenskyy are expected to sign a cooperation agreement between Croatia and Ukraine that will officially document existing cooperation between the two countries, including humanitarian aid, demining, and war crimes investigations.

The sources said the agreement will ensure that Croatia’s assistance to Ukraine will be provided on a long-term basis.

In September, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced another package of military aid to Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv.

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