On 13 November 2023, Krišjānis Kariņš attended a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) and the Western Balkan countries in Brussels. At the meeting, they discussed the rapprochement of the countries of the Western Balkans – Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo – with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), thus deepening cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans. The need for closer cooperation in international formats and working together against hybrid and cybersecurity threats was also underlined.
“We have always supported the Western Balkan countries in their efforts to integrate into the European Union and we welcome the rapprochement of the Western Balkans with EU values. We call on all partners to be fully aligned with the CFSP. We appreciate the progress already made and stand ready to help integrate EU initiatives. We will continue to advise our Western Balkan colleagues on necessary reforms, strengthening the rule of law, media and freedom of expression,” the Minister said.
