a few seconds agoOpen Balkans to Continue
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has said that the Open Balkans will continue despite the dynamism of the Berlin Process. He has stressed that the Open Balkans is a living unit of the Berlin Process, even suggesting they are working on preparing another Open Balkans summit in Albania. [...]
He has stressed that the Open Balkans is a living unit of the Berlin Process, even suggesting they are working on preparing another Open Balkans summit in Albania.
At the joint meeting for media with Northern Macedonia Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, following the two governments' joint meeting, Rama said the Berlin Process is not eternal, while the Open Balkans will remain such.
“We are preparing another Open Balkan summit in Albania, and we are pleased that there are other integral countries in this process. Here I have in mind, Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Italy, I have in mind countries which were initially present at the summit made earlier and now demand to be continued to create that necessary synergy even with borders around us. I am also extremely pleased to have resumed the Berlin Process, among other things, because it has proved that the Open Balkans are nothing more than a living unit of the Berlin Process. What did we sign in Berlin? We have signed what we had signed with each other in the open Balkans. Why? Because open Balkan agreements are nothing more than speeding up the Berlin Process... At the end of the day, we will be stuck with the “Open Bankan”, as the Berlin Process is not eternal, while the Balkans are eternal”, he said.
While Northern Macedonia Prime Minister Dimtar Kovacevski said the Open Balkans should not intimidate anyone, as it is not in conflict with the Berlin Process.
I am pleased that what we have signed in Berlin under the Berlin Process, we have already signed at the Open Balkans Initiative. The Open Balkans need no one to fear is the original idea, not only of politicians, but also of the businesses of northern Macedonia, Albania and Serbia...48 The Open Balkans and the Berlin Process are not at odds, but are compatible processes”, he said.
21 agreements and memorandums of co-operation were signed at the joint meeting of the governments of Albania and North Macedonia.
They touch on the EU integration issue, the creation of joint security task forces, implementation of joint border control at the joint point of the Qafe-Than border crossing.
Co-operation agreements in the field of economy, energy, education and digitalisation are also involved.
