EPC Summit Gets Underway In Moldova; UK In Attendance But Erdogan Skips

The second summit of the European Political Community (EPC) is getting underway in the Moldovan capital Chișinău. The EPC, the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, is intended to be the foremost geopolitical forum for European leaders. The group encompasses a wider scope than the European Union, including non-EU nations such as the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Ukraine.

• Doorstep inteviews with leaders taking place presently, to be followed by working roundtables and then a post-summit presser at 1600CET (1000ET, 1500BST). Full schedule here, and livestream of events here.
• Politico reports that Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are seeking to facilitate a meeting between Kosovan PM Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in an effort to calm the increasingly fraught in northern Kosovo that has seen NATO deploy an additional 700 troops in preparation for any outbreak of ethnic violence.
• UK PM Rishi Sunak will be in attendance at the premier event for British leaders to speak with their European counterparts post-Brexit. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will not be joining in a blow to the EPC's standing. Given Erdoğan's recent re-election and his nation's key position as a NATO member and interlocutor between Russia and Ukraine, senior European leaders would have been keen to have the first post-election discussions with the Turkish leader.