Türkiye hosted the second meeting of the Balkan Peace Platform on Friday, bringing together foreign ministers from Balkan countries to discuss regional cooperation, and increasing security and economic ties.
The meeting, chaired by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the historic Çırağan Palace in Istanbul, was attended by Elmedin Konakovic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and diaspora, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, Albania’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs, Elisa Spiropali, North Macedonia’s minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, Timco Mucunski, and Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Curic.
Participants discussed a broad range of issues, including regional disputes, joint border management and efforts to combat irregular migration, cooperation in European Union accession processes, energy security, digital transformation, industry, youth and technology, as well as transport corridors and regional connectivity.
Officials also underlined the importance of regional ownership and stressed that the Balkan Peace Platform was designed to complement, not replace, existing regional and international initiatives.
It was stated that Türkiye’s trade volume with the participating Balkan countries stands at around $7 billion, while Turkish investments in the region total approximately $8.9 billion.
Ankara also highlighted its active role in multilateral cooperation, including its participation in the Southeast European Cooperation Process and its leadership in trilateral consultation mechanisms involving Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.
Türkiye continues to contribute to regional security through its involvement in NATO’s Kosovo Force and the EU’s Althea mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Turkish officials said Ankara will assume command of the Kosovo force from Italy in October 2025 for a one-year term.
Fidan also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts before the gathering.
Following the bilateral meeting, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on the social media platform X that Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic discussed global developments and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s current political situation during his meeting with Hakan Fidan.
Moreover, it was noted that Gaza was discussed within the Peace Council framework, stressing the initiative as a historic chance to ease humanitarian suffering and advance a lasting and just peace in the region.
Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, said, also in a social media post, that Türkiye remains an important partner in promoting peace, stability and regional cooperation as a close ally and friend of Kosovo.
Referring to her bilateral meeting with Hakan Fidan, Gervalla-Schwarz said Kosovo reaffirmed its strategic orientation through its participation in the platform, including its commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration and membership in the European Union and NATO.
