Kosovo closed for the Open Balkans: Rama arm Dritan Abazovic and others

Of the six Western Balkan states, only one official of the Republic of Kosovo is missing in this photo.

The three member states of this initiative participated in the summit: Albania, Serbia and Northern Macedonia.

Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina were also called as observers.

The initiative, according to its organisers, aims at establishing freedom of movement of people, goods, capital and services in the region.

But, Kosovo refuses to join the initiative in the first place because of Serbia's approach, which does not recognise its independence. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti rejected Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski's invitation to attend the meeting. He wrote in a letter that Kosovo is engaged in the Berlin Process, which was approved by the six Western Balkan countries at the Sofia summit in 2020 and supported by the European Union. Prime Minister Kurti further stressed that “Kosovo and Northern Macedonia should work together in preventing Serbia from promoting its Russian and Chinese interest in the region, and constantly denying Kosovo's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and blocking equal opportunities for Kosovo citizens”.

Rama expressed satisfaction that Abazovic officially joined the initiative of the Open-Balkan “”. Edi Rama has placed on Facebook a photo of the meeting in Ohrid with Montenegrin counterpart Dritan Abazovic and US Ambassador to Belgrade Chris Hill.

“Enjoying the newly arrived coffee in Ohrid with Prime Minister Dritan Abazovè, who today formally introduces Montenegro into the open Balkans, as well as the United States' ambassador to Serbia, Chris Hill, who is a longtime friend of Albania and Albanians, yes and a staunch supporter of the Open Balkans”, writes Rama.