6 minutes agoAbazovic for “Open Balkan: In the region they dramatize things, it's hostile everything that comes from beyond the border
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)Montenegro's Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, in an interview for Deutche Welle, has talked about his stance on the “Open Balkan” initiative, launched by Serbia, Albania and Northern Macedonia. Abazovic says such a question should be dramatised and that his opinion is that initiatives that help integration [...]
For me this situation is simple and should be dramatized. Anything that can be used as a tool for quick EU integration is good. For anything else that can be seen as replacing European integration, we are not interested. So everything that helps us get into the EU faster, like the region or as a state, for us is ok”, Abazovic said.
Asked whether “Open Balkan” is against the concept of the Berlin Process, Abazovic has said such a thing is not true and that the Balkan Open with the Berlin Process is compatible.
He further says that people in the Western Balkans try to dramatize every issue, until he adds that all initiatives such as the Berlin Process, CEFTA and “Open Balkans have a common regional co-operation message.
Abazovic says that in this case, the name is insignificant, stressing away that the region needs trust, good communication and co-operation between governments, until it has suggested that the são should be viewed as hostile everything that comes from beyond the borders.
No! These are compatible. The problem is that people in the Western Balkans try to dramatize every issue. The Berlin process, CEFTA, “Balkan opened” or any other initiative has a joint regional co-operation message. Name is insignificant. What do we need? We need more trust, better communication, joint projects, more co-operation between countries and governments. We need these. And from my point of view, everything goes in this direction, it's the right thing. We need a little less tension, a cleanup of the region, and that's why we need to trust each other and not see any proposal that comes from across the border as something hostile. We don't view our neighbors as enemies. We see them as our neighbours, like our friends, with great respect and are trying to bring new energy and new policy to the region. Maybe my thesis isn't correct, but I strongly believe in it: that nationalism is deeply linked to corruption. And political elites who want to promote nationalism, don't do this for patriotism, but to maintain the status quo and to prevent institution building. Because when we build institutions, and here I refer not only to Montenegro but also to the region, when we build strong institutions then human relations will be better, no matter what state or religious group they represent. So, I see a link between them”, said Abazovic about Deutche Welle.
