Top EU diplomat hosts Western Balkans leaders meeting on sidelines of UN General Assembly

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hosted a Western Balkans regional leaders meeting Wednesday in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The informal meeting took place in the context of enhanced cooperation with regional partners on foreign policy which also offered an opportunity to exchange views about the challenges in the region and its European future.

The main focus was the enlargement and ideas around the gradual integration of partners into the EU.

"Borrell and the Western Balkans leaders discussed how to jointly address the damaging consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine on food and energy prices, as well as on the stability and security in Europe and globally," said a statement from the bloc.

Borrell underlined the importance of close cooperation in the multilateral fora.

"In this context, he recalled that the European Union counts on all candidate countries as reliable partners also in foreign, security and defense policy, including the alignment with EU’s decisions in these domains," it said.

Regional leaders also had a chance to discuss expectations on EU accession at a time when the bloc’s enlargement policy has gained new momentum.

The leaders of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia participated in the meeting.