Brdo-Brijuni summit postponed again

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor has informed leaders of the Brdo-Brijuni Process that the summit marking the 10th anniversary of this initiative for the Western Balkans, which was to be held next Monday in Slovenia, has been cancelled due to the current epidemiological situation.

This is the second postponing of the summit that was originally to be held on 29 June but had to be postponed because of the coronavirus situation in Balkan countries.

“Our assessment and expectation that the epidemiological situation at the end of the year will be so much better to allow for the meeting to be carried out unfortunately did not come true,” Pahor was quoted as saying by his office.

Pahor, who initiated the Brdo-Brijuni Process along with former Croatian PM Jadranka Kosor in 2010, hopes that the epidemiological situation will allow for the meeting to take place in the first months of next year.

In a separate letter, Pahor thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his confirmation of attendance at the summit and expressed hope he would be able to take part in the meeting when it is scheduled.

Pahor also expressed willingness to host talks on the EU’s future during Macron’s visit, which the pair talked about during Pahor’s working visit to Paris in September. “We need those talks too, perhaps even more so now than when we planned them,” he wrote.

The Brdo-Brijuni Process summit was expected to focus on the current situation in the region and on efforts for strengthening trust and cooperation. The officials were also expected to reaffirm their call for continuation of the EU enlargement process.

Participation had been confirmed by leaders of all participating countries – Croatia’s President Zoran Milanović, Albania’s Ilir Meta, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina Šefik Džaferović and presidency members Milorad Dodik and Željko Komšić, Montenegro President Milo Đukanović, Kosovo’s Speaker Vjosa Osmani, Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski and Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić.

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