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Merkel gives pep talk to Balkan EU hopefuls

15 July 2014, 16:23 CET
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(DUBROVNIK) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday gave a pep talk to Balkan nations seeking integration with the European Union, saying Berlin would "not abandon" its support for the aspiring members.

"We strongly support the European perspective of all countries" in the Balkan region, Merkel said at the start of a regional summit aimed at promoting cooperation and integration into the European Union.

Held at the gathering in the southern walled medieval city of Dubrovnik, the summit hosted by Croatian President Ivo Josipovic gathered his counterparts from Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

"It is very good that the climate of destruction does not exist anymore" after a series of bloody wars in the Balkans in the 1990s, and the "climate of joint reconstruction prevailed," Merkel said.

She noted "big progress... in normalisation of ties between Kosovo and Serbia", crowned with last year's EU-sponsored landmark agreement between the former foes.

Of the eight countries represented at the one-day summit, only Slovenia and Croatia are EU members, while the others are in various stages in their bid to join the 28-nation bloc.

"We are here to help our friends and neighbours to become a part of the EU as soon as possible," Josipovic said, for his part.

Agenda items included furthering the accession process as well as cooperation in infrastructure projects.

Last year's summit, held in Slovenia, was attended by French President Francois Hollande.


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