Sofia: The heads of state and foreign ministers of the 13 member states convened yesterday in Sofia for the annual South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit, marking 30 years since this regional cooperation mechanism was launched. The adopted Summit Declaration reaffirmed the continued importance of cooperation, stability, security, and sustainability across South-East Europe at a time of geopolitical crises and conflicts shaking the global security architecture. The current regional situation shares several parallels with, yet also fundamentally differs from, the context that existed 30 years ago.
According to Anadolu Agency, SEECP was founded in the aftermath of the Dayton Accords, which ended the war in Bosnia. It was a time when domestic politics in almost every South-East European state was being radically transformed. Entrenched leaders and ruling parties across the region began to lose their grip on power - such as Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, Sali Berisha in Albania, the Democratic Party of Socialists in Montenegro, and the then-ruling post-communist parties in Bulgaria and North Macedonia - as regional countries embarked on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. Significant progress has been made in the three decades since then, with Montenegro dissolving its union with Serbia, Kosovo declaring independence, and North Macedonia settling its name dispute with Greece. Today, all but four of the 13 SEECP participants are NATO members, and only Kosovo lacks official candidate status for EU membership.
The role of Trkiye has been crucial in the region. Geopolitically, Trkiye remains the most powerful actor, surpassing all other countries in terms of population and wealth. However, in the 1990s and early 2000s, Trkiye's ability to project power was limited due to internal problems and the influence of the military, judiciary, and bureaucracy over elected officials. The consolidation of AK Party rule from 2010 onward brought about major institutional transformations and domestic reforms, making Trkiye a more influential actor both regionally and globally. Within SEECP, Trkiye plays a pivotal role in regional security, especially given the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East. Both the EU and the US recognize Trkiye's importance and call for it to play a larger role in ensuring regional stability.
Despite providing a framework for cooperation, SEECP's role remains largely symbolic due to geopolitical and identity-related issues dividing several participant states. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Serbia, and Moldova do not recognize Kosovo, while Bulgaria blocks North Macedonia's EU accession negotiations. The historical rivalry between Trkiye and Greece also poses a challenge. Moving forward, SEECP should focus on areas where interests align, such as advancing the EU accession process, strengthening Black Sea security, and enhancing regional energy security.