At the invitation of Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, and Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Acting Minister Gent Cakaj takes part in the informal meeting of the EU and Western Balkans Foreign Affairs Ministers, referred to as Gymnich, which is being held in Helsinki. This is a known format of meetings organised by the Presidencies of the Council of the European Union, at the beginning of their semi-annual mandate, since 1974.

The meeting, which is of an informal nature, and is attended by the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the EU Member States and of the candidate countries for future membership of the European Union, enables the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to hold frank discussions on topical issues of the European Union.

The Ministers will discuss issues surrounding regional cooperation in areas of common interest. Discussion will focus amongst others on the region’s European agenda, and the initiatives in the framework of the Berlin Process or other regional parallel initiatives of regional cooperation, built on the enlargement agenda.

The busy agenda of the Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Gent Cakaj during his stay in Helsinki includes bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the EU Member States, so as to discuss expectations towards a positive decision by the Council in October 2019 to open membership talks with Albania. Additionally, the situation across the region and the bilateral relations among the Western Balkan countries will be the main topic of these meetings.