“Mini-Shengeni” slams Edi Rama with Kosovo

The leaders of the Western Balkans met yesterday in Ohrid, North Macedonia, with whom they discussed the initiative for more intensive economic co-operation, enabling the removal of all obstacles to the free movement of people, goods, services and capital.

Northern Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama adopted a joint declaration through which, as said afterwards, co-operation between the countries of the region is aimed.

During a conference held for media meeting participants in Ohrid said the initiative known as “Men-Shengen” is not the idea for creating a new Yugoslavia, but the idea of creating a Balkans different from what is known today.

However, none of Kosovo participated in this Samit.

Objections over this came from Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, as well as from leaders and other political party officials.

During his reaction, Thaci said Kosovo's only vision remains EU membership, towards such a thing under no circumstances should be replaced with regional initiatives as the initiative for Mini-Schengin.

Without countering these criticisms, neither did Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who named it excessive statements against him and against the initiative in question.

Zaev, Rama, Vuciq: Mini-Shengen factors the Western Balkans

The Ohrid Summit host, Zoran Zaev, said the initiative for the creation of Mini-Shengen brings good for the entire Balkans.

I really hope all participants in this process will embrace this action plan and this initiative, because it brings good for the entire Balkans, but it also factors us more in front of Western European countries, where we also want to access”, he stated.

This initiative, as the prime minister of Northern Macedonia put it, presents only additional values for initiatives European institutions have undertaken with Balkan countries to improve the life of this part of Europe.

While talking about it, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has said the idea of Mini-Shengen is not to divide the Balkans, but to unite all countries.

It is not the idea to divide the Western Balkans, but to include all countries in this initiative. All this basically has the free movement of countries in the Western Balkans”, he said.

After yesterday's meeting in Ohrid, Rama announced that the next meeting would be held in the town of Durres on 21 December.

At that meeting Rama said both Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina will be welcomed.

“In Durres welcome both Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. There is no reason for Kosovo suddenly to rule itself out. I believe that removing the border between Western Balkan countries is not Mini-Shengen. I consider this initiative to be of particular importance among the” countries, Edi Rama underlined.

Like Zaev and Rama, Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq considered that Balkan leaders did great work with concreteising the initiative for Mini-Sengen.

This, as Vucin said, can also fail, but will be the future for countries in the region.

Maybe this somebody will try to destroy it, maybe that's what we're doing, but it's gonna be the future anyway. We are not dealing here with Yugoslavia, we are dealing with better lives for citizens”, Vuciqi said.

With such an initiative, as the chief of the Serbian government went on to create an environment of normality among Balkan states.

“Normality, not confrontation environment. We will be able by the end of the year to enter Albania with IDs, as well as Albanians in Serbia”, Vuciqi added.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers Chairman Denis Zvizdzic and Montenegrin Economy Minister Dragica Sekulic attended the meeting yesterday.

But Bosnia and Herzegovina's representative said his state still does not have a final decision on whether to join the initiative of northern Macedonia, Serbia and Albania around Mini-Shengen.

Thaci rejects participation in Ohrid summit

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has refused to participate in the Ohrid Summit, in which Mini-Senenjn was discussed.

While arguing on his decision to boycott this, Thaci said Kosovo's only goal is membership in the European Union.

“First, Kosovo was deliberately bypassed by Serbia at the First Summit of this new regional initiative. Second, Kosovo's only vision remains EU and NATO membership. So we don't want to replace our Euro-Atlantic perspective under any regional initiative”, Thaci has declared.

In addition, the head of the state of Kosovo said this regional initiative is meaningless as long as Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina do not recognise Kosovo's independence.

Besides Thaci, part of the meeting between Western Balkan leaders has not been Kosovo's outgoing Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.

Although he himself has not been declared at all about it, without reacting they have not left his party officials, AAK.

The Balkan Schengen is Serbia's current idea. Edi Rama's role in the initiative is the next insult he makes to Kosovo”, AAK Deputy Chairman Muharrem Nitaj has declared.

Mustafa: Mini-Shengen Initiative Leads to New Yugoslavia

The launch of the Balkan Mini-Shengen project has also reacted to LDK leader Isa Mustafa.

Such projects according to him seem attractive at first sight, but in essence lead to a new Yugoslavia, with Albania, without Croatia and without Slovenia.

As a result, Mustafa has declared that the LDK does not support that under any circumstances.

“are ideas that we have not supported how many we have addressed Government and we will not support both the LDK in position or opposition, just as we do not support changing Kosovo's state borders”, it has suggested.

Kosovo, as the head of the LDK has expressed itself, should aspire to the unique European market and become part of the Schengen Agreement, which includes the states of the European Union, share from agreements like it for Mini-Sengeni benefits Serbia and several other countries in the region.

“Such agreements lead to a situation when taxes at the border -- whether VAT, customs tax -- the excise will bring together much of Serbia for Kosovo, which has not recognised Kosovo's independence, because we have the longest border with it and in other parts, Albania, Northern Macedonia and Montenegro. Kosovo is not limited for now to any of the EU member states”.

So with this agreement, Kosovo's sovereignty would be passed to neighbouring countries.

By contrast, Mustafa has said the policies of Mini-Shengen lead Western Balkan countries away from the path of European integrations and lead them to Russia-dominated Eurasian burrow.

Serbia's “are these maneuvers to evade obligations to the European Union for normalising relations with Kosovo and for recognising Kosovo's independence. The prime minister of Albania and northern Macedonia may know where their countries' interests are, but Kosova” has highlighted the LDK leader.

Rama's clash with Mustaf Thach

The statement of Isa Mustaf has immediately countered Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has said he feels surprised by his reaction.

I have respect for Isa Mustafen. We worked together. Keep a good memory of him and I'm surprised at his statement. But as he has his opinion different from me, I have different opinions about him. To tell me (Mioslav) that I have neither worked in the administration of Yugoslavia nor associated with Yugoslavia, except for the poor memory of the mistreatment of Albanians, I find it excessive and not so elegant”, Rama said during a rebuttal to Mustafa, who the initiatives of Mini-Shengen called the Yugoslavs.

Rama's response has moved Isa Mustaf to react to the matter again. On this occasion, Mustafa has said he does not want to see anyone again experiencing the time of the former Yugoslavia.

The “we who have experienced Yugoslavia do not want to experience again. Even those who haven't experienced it, we don't want it”, the LDK's leader has indicated.

Meanwhile on yesterday, Edi Rama has commented on President Thaci's participation in the Ohrid Summit, with whom he has counted to the president of Kosovo all the summits in the Western Balkans that he has participated with other Western Balkan leaders, including those Serbs.

Serbia has not recognised Kosovo since then has stinged Rama Thaci, while saying the Kosovar side expelled itself from this regional initiative.

While criticising the initiative for Mini-Sengny Thaci said Kosovo's participation in Sam is meaningless, while states that have not recognised Kosovo's independence also participate.

Despite these clashes, Edi Rama said there is no link between his co-operation and the Kosovo side.

Kosovo Enhance ʹ Albania needed at regional summits

Kosovo's non-participation at the Ohrid Summit is seen as the right decision by connoisseurs of political and integration issues. According to Demush Shasha, executive director at the Kosovo Institute for European Policy (EPIK), Kosovo has no interest in supporting such initiatives that could disrupt partnership with key EU countries. In this direction Kosovo and Albania, according to him, should jointly make decisions for participation or not on such summits.

I consider that Albania and Kosovo should always develop a close co-ordination before launching or participating in any initiative of regional, European or international co-operation. Balkan countries, including Kosovo, have no interest in providing support to the Mini-Shengen initiative, which effectively undermines the Berlin process and excludes key EU countries, such as Germany, France, and etc.”, have declared Shasha for “Zerin”.

He has considered that Kosovo and Albania should insist that all identified challenges be addressed in partnership with EU countries and in line with the region's EU membership perspective. Any deviation from this, as Shasha has expressed, undermines the integration agenda of the Balkans and provides room for influence and action for foreign participants who pose a danger to Euro-Atlantic values.

Mini-Shengen, two sides of the medal

Although it has caused confusion among Western Balkan countries, the idea of creating the Mini-Sengen area according to Demush Shasha has some positive sides as well as holding the negatives.

The joint statement of the three leaders of the Western Balkan countries -- the one of Albania, Serbia and Northern Macedonia -- that on 9 October gathered in Novi Sad of Serbia, according to him testifies that the initiative is in line with the obligations and ambitions of the Western Balkan countries towards the EU.

“In this direction, the statement intends to arrive: Creating the common market of 20 million citizens; Eliminating border controls and other obstacles to free movement no later than in 2021; Free movement of Balkan citizens in the region with ID cards; The right to employ citizens everywhere in the region; Bilateral recognition of diplomas throughout the region; Enhancing co-operation in the fight against international organised crime and assistance in cases of natural disasters”, the executive director of EPIK has indicated.

Despite that, he has said it remains unclear why he did not attend the launch meeting of this project, which was held last month, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro have not been invited.

Also, according to him, it remains unclear who has granted permission for involvement of the responsible states in the adopted declaration, as they have not been part of the meeting.

In this direction he has counted the other negatives of this initiative, and it has had to be done in spirit of all involvement in all countries of the region.

That's why Shasha has stressed that Mini-Shengen's statement has no record of new challenges facing the region, except those already identified by the Berlin process, questioning the outcome this Mini-Shengen can produce.

The “is unclear why a new mechanism is created outside the Berlin process, which effectively excludes key EU countries from participation. In this direction it is unclear how a new political initiative, but with more limited political participation than the Berlin process, will achieve better results”, it has ended.