BULBOACA, Moldova, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Around 50 European leaders gathered Thursday at the Mimi Castle in Bulboaca, Moldova for the second European Political Community (EPC) summit focused on security issues, as well as energy, climate, and interconnectivity.

(From L to R) Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, France's President Emmanuel Macron, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, European Council President Charles Michel and Armenia's prime minister Nikol Pachinian meet aside the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Bulboaca, on June 1, 2023. (Photo: AFP)

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said at the end of the one-day summit that participating countries agreed to step up their joint efforts to strengthen cyber and physical security of European critical infrastructure.

While the summit focused mainly on matters of pan-European importance, Moldova also sees it as a chance to further its EU accession.

European Council president Charles Michel said at the summit that Europe will have "the opportunity today to discuss all those topics and to try to build more political convergence."

Though no joint statement was published after the summit, some European leaders did seek to use the event to defuse regional tensions.

The platform aims to facilitate political coordination for European countries, especially promoting dialogue between EU and non-EU states.

The inaugural meeting of the EPC was held last October in Prague.