President Milanović to Participate in Meeting of NATO Members from Southeast Europe and Secretary General of the Alliance

The President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović will participate on Wednesday in an informal meeting of the Heads of State and Government of five NATO Members from Southeast Europe, which will also be attended by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The meeting will be held in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia. In addition to President Milanović and the meeting’s host, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski of the Republic of North Macedonia, other participating leaders from allied countries include Prime Minister Edi Rama of the Republic of Albania, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić of Montenegro, and Prime Minister Robert Golob of the Republic of Slovenia.

The political and security situation in Southeast Europe will be discussed at the meeting, as this region’s security and stability are of strategic importance for the Alliance. NATO is present in Southeast Europe, notably through the KFOR mission operating in the Republic of Kosovo and its support of Operation Althea (EUFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting of the Heads of State and Government of NATO Members and the NATO Secretary General in Skopje is taking place amid a broader international crisis, which is impacting both NATO Members and other countries in the Southeast European region. In Skopje, other issues of importance for the Alliance will be discussed, particularly significant in the context of preparations for the next NATO Summit scheduled for July 2024 in Washington, D.C.