Leaders from more than 40 countries gathered for the inaugural summit of a new forum aiming to bring Europe together in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.
The stated aim of the 44-member European Political Community — a brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron — is to improve cooperation between European Union countries and nonmembers such as Britain, Turkey, and the states of the Western Balkans and the Caucasus region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not invited, and the war in Ukraine loomed over the meeting as discussions focused on the economic and security turmoil sparked by Russia’s ongoing unprovoked invasion.
The summit on October 6 in Prague was billed as “a platform for political coordination,” but there were few concrete outcomes, though Macron was upbeat.
“It sends first of all a message of unity,” Macron said. “The objective is first of all to share a common reading of the situation affecting our Europe and also to build a common strategy.”
Among those who attended at the historic Prague Castle on October 6 are the leaders of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Switzerland.
“If you just look at the attendance here, you see the importance,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
“The whole European continent is here, except two countries: Belarus and Russia. So it shows how isolated those two countries are.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Europe to punish Moscow and up arms supplies in a video address.
“Here and now, I urge you to make a basic decision. A decision about purpose for this community of ours. For this format of ours,” Zelenskiy said. “We, the leaders of Europe, can become the leaders of peace. Our European political community can become a European community of peace.”
British Prime Minister Liz Truss stressed that the meeting was not an “EU construct” as she focused on unity and security.
“It is very important that we work with our neighbors and allies to face down Putin but also deal with the issues we face,” she told U.K. broadcasters.
Among the important meetings on the sidelines of the summit was the first face-to-face meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev since deadly clashes between the foes last month in the worst violence since a 2020 war.
The sit-down with Macron and European Council President Charles Michel to discuss their ongoing conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh came as the two sides look to draft the text of a future peace treaty.
“I hope [the] outcome of the meeting will be positive,” Aliyev said prior to the meeting in response to a question from RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service. “Talks will advance and we’ll eventually sign a peace treaty.”
The next meeting of the European Political Community will be held in Moldova at the suggestion of Michel. The proposal was met with approval from European leaders gathered in Prague, a spokesperson for Michel said.
Moldova, bordering Ukraine and one of the poorest countries in Europe, is not a member of the European Union but was granted candidate status for membership in June.
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