SEECP 2020-2021

Turkey assumes the SEECP Chairmanship-in-Office for one year for the third time on 1 July 2020. Its previous Chairmanships were in 1998-1999 and 2009-2010.

As a founding participant of the SEECP, Turkey designed its Chairmanship priorities and activities with an aim to strengthen the regional ownership and inclusiveness principles. The Chairmanship activities will be complementary and provide added value to existing efforts to address regional challenges.

The Turkish Chairmanship motto, “Neighbours SEE Together”, also refers to the common future of the peoples of the Balkans who live side-by-side.

This approach also draws the framework of the Turkish Chairmanship-in-Office priorities which are outlined under seven headings:

i) Cooperation in the field of health in the post-Covid-19 period; (ii) Brain drain, developing quality of human capital and education; (iii) Connectivity, strengthening intra-regional infrastructure; (iv) Increasing intra-regional and extra-regional trade (v) Migration management; (vi) Youth, culture and tourism and (vii) Security.

In addition to the Summit and Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meetings to be held during the Chairmanship-in-Office, six Ministerial meetings on transport, education, tourism, trade, health, and youth and sport are also planned.

Events, meetings, workshops and projects with regard to trade, migration management, culture-tourism and security are also scheduled throughout 2020-2021.