King Charles hosts reception at St James's Palace alongside Sir Keir Starmer just hours before crucial summit

Representatives from six Western Balkan nations attended the royal reception.

The gathering highlighted achievements in the region's creative sectors and Britain's ongoing partnership with these countries.

The event focused on future prosperity through continued collaboration between the UK and the region.

The Berlin Process serves as a global forum uniting governments from Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia with European allies.

This international initiative aims to strengthen regional collaboration and boost economic growth whilst supporting the Western Balkans' alignment with Europe.

The Prime Minister welcomed senior officials from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and EU institutions to the central London venue.

This year holds particular importance for the Balkans, with multiple historic milestones being observed.

Three decades have passed since both the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement and the tragedy at Srebrenica.

The commemorations extend to the Helsinki Final Act's golden jubilee and eight decades since both the Second World War's conclusion and the United Nations' establishment.

The Berlin Process champions collective goals of fostering peace, security and regional stability.

The initiative also marks a commitment to partnership focused on mutual growth between the Western Balkans and its European neighbours.

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