The Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Katrougalos, represented Greece at the informal meeting of Prime Ministers of the Western Balkans (WB6), in Durrës, Albania. The subject of the meeting was promotion of regional economic integration. In his remarks, Mr. Katrougalos referred to Greece’s longstanding positions in favour of the European perspective of the Balkan countries, with special emphasis on the recent initiatives for promoting political stability and economic cooperation in the region. A salient example of this policy was the Prespes agreement, but Greece has systematically developed bilateral and multilateral relations with all of the countries of the region and has concluded agreements on transfer of know-how and support with all of the Balkan countries in the process of joining the European Union. In the economic sector, Greece is firmly supporting and promoting integration and connectivity policies, particularly in the transport and energy sectors. Mr. Katrougalos also argued that, in parallel with the economic dimension of development, special emphasis must be put on the social dimension. The peoples of the region will not benefit from becoming a pool of cheap labour for the other European countries. Conversely, they need to endeavour to promote their strategic comparative advantages in the improvement of productivity, through investments in human capital and policies for strengthening the social state and the rights and skills of their workers.
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