"Greece is returning to the Balkans," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said yesterday (22.07), in statements after briefing a meeting of the National Council on Foreign Policy about the results of his tour in 7 southeastern European countries.

He explained that the country's policy in the area has two elements: “The one element is to support our cooperation with each country and its course towards the European Union. The second is to again find a way to create an internal Balkan space, for the Balkan periphery to be remade – a development that will facilitate the future place of all of these states in the European Union itself.”

The discussion also highlighted the fact that Greece, despite its weaknesses in the economic sector, remains the country with the greatest potential in the Balkans; the country that has the cultural, political and historical capability, the expertise and experience from the European Union, to contribute to a better tomorrow for all of the Balkan states, he added.