Bulgaria's head of state is due to take over from Albania the presidency of the Southeastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP) while on a visit to Tirana on Tuesday, his press office has said.

President Rosen Plevneliev is to take part in a Tuesday summit bringing together all heads of state and government of countries who participate in  the SEECP.

Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov will be part of the accompanying delegation.

The rotational presidency, which will be handed over now will be in force from July 1, lasts for a year. It gives a country the role of hosting SEECP summits and molding their agenda more effectively.

At the Tirana summit, Plevneliev is to unveil Bulgaria's priorities for its rotational term, which will traditionally touch issues such as regional cooperation, European integration of the Western Balkans, challenges facing the region, and cooperation in security.

Launched on the initiative on Bulgaria in 1996, the SEECP aims at boosting neighborly cooperation among participating states, to place more emphasis on regional decision-making, and also to help EU and NATO accession of the respective countries.

It initially involved Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey. Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, Slovenia and Kosovo followed suit, despite the latter's strained relations with Belgrade.

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