At the summit on Ukraine, the countries of Southeast Europe approve the declaration in support of Kiev

2024-10-09 21:08:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

At the summit on Ukraine, the countries of Southeast Europe approve the

The representatives of the 12 countries of South-East Europe approved late Wednesday the Declaration of the summit for Ukraine in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also participated, condemning the Russian aggression and supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The statement condemns Russian aggression in Ukraine, supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and expresses support for Zelensky's peace plan and emphasizes that the condition for peace is the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

The country's leaders supported Kiev's European integration and NATO membership when the conditions are met.

The statement also emphasizes the importance of Ukraine's energy security, especially given the coming winter. In this context, it was considered providing assistance to that country to mitigate the consequences that the energy sector suffered from the Russian attacks.

It further states that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant must be returned to Ukrainian control and operate in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency principles. Zaporizhzhia is currently under Russian control.

Speaking at the summit, Zelensky said that if Europe is not united, then "we cannot expect peace".

"No one in Europe should be reminded how precious peace is, especially here in the Balkans. What happens in the Balkans and what happens here in Ukraine, in a way, determines the stability of all of Europe. Thank you for your support yours and that you have stood up against Russia's efforts to destabilize this region as well," said Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president said that since July they have been working on a document that will contain the conditions that "must be met for a just end to the war" and called on the participants of the Summit to be involved in that process.

The host of the summit, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Pllenkovic, said that defense against Russian aggression is not only a matter of solidarity with Ukraine, but a key geopolitical interest for all.

"Thus [by helping Ukraine] we are investing in the future of our children across Europe... Not punishing Russia in this attack on Ukraine would encourage other regimes to do the same. In Southeast Europe, we must not let's allow this to happen", he added.

In this summit, Kosovo was represented by President Vjosa Osmani, who said that she is participating in the summit in Dubrovnik to "reaffirm support for the right of the Ukrainian people to live in freedom".

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, met with Zelensky during the summit in Dubrovnik, where he is participating even though it was previously announced that Serbia would be represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Gjuric, Beta news agency reports.

Before the start of the Summit, Plenkovic and Zelensky signed a bilateral agreement on long-term support and cooperation.

The agreement focuses on Croatia's experiences in prosecuting war crimes, supporting war veterans and demining.

Together with Zelensky and Pllenkovic, heads of state, prime ministers and foreign ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey participated in the summit. .

This is the third summit on Ukraine between Ukraine and Southeast Europe since Russia began its invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022, with the first held in Greece and the second in Albania.

Campaign for military aid

The meeting near the shores of the Adriatic is the third "Ukraine-Southeastern Europe" summit.

At the last summit held in Albania in February, Zelensky called for more support to help defend against Russian forces.

He continued to ask for more help, while Russia is enjoying a battlefield advantage in manpower and munitions.

Zelensky also asked for permission to use long-range weapons provided by allies to attack military targets deep inside Russian territory.

A joint statement at the end of the summit is expected to condemn Russian aggression, support Ukraine's territorial integrity and Zelensky's peace plan, demand prosecution for war crimes in Ukraine and support Kiev's European integration and NATO membership, according to local media.

Clash in Croatia for Ukraine

Pllenkovic said that in the last two years, Croatia's aid to Ukraine, mainly military, amounts to 300 million euros.

He visited Kiev last month, his third visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, while this will be Zelensky's first visit to Croatia.

The Ukrainian leader is expected to sign an agreement with Plenkovic for long-term support and cooperation between the two countries.

The agreement will focus mainly on Croatia's experience in prosecuting war crimes and demining after the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

But the meeting comes amid an internal clash over Ukraine between Croatia's conservative government and President Zoran Millanovic. Milanovic earlier this month refused to support the Government's proposal to send Croatian officers to a NATO mission in Germany to train Ukrainian soldiers.

The president, who has limited powers but is the supreme commander of the country's armed forces, said he would not allow Croatian soldiers to "participate in activities that push Croatia towards war".

The Prime Minister accused Milanovi? of acting against national interests. He called on the deputies to overturn the president's decision, which would require a two-thirds majority in Parliament./ Rel