Kosovo missing, US State Department declared pro-open Balkans

This comment came after the meeting held in Ohrid, North Macedonia, in the context of the “Balkan Open”.

In a statement to Radio Free Europe, a spokesman for The UN has declined to comment on Kosovo's non-participation at this meeting, but said that “narrower and more integrated co-operation across the Western Balkans will attract investments in energy, banks, production, services and other sectors to a market of 20 million workers and educated clients in the heart of Europe”.

The United States supports these and other complementary initiatives, which collectively deepen regional economic co-operation and advance the European path”, this spokesman said. The UN for the REL.

At the Ohrid meeting were Serbia's President, Aleksandar Vuciq, Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama, Northern Macedonia Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, Montenegro's Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, and Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers Chairman Zoran Tageltija.

Northern Macedonia, Albania and Serbia signed four co-operation agreements Wednesday for fighting tax evasion, for recognition of higher education diplomas, for cultural co-operation and for co-operation in the field of tourism.

Speaking through the video link to US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar, said the US supports the initiative of the Open Balkans “”.

But, Escobar added that states that have joined this initiative should engage in equal treatment for each Western Balkan state.

We believe that in order for this initiative [open Balkans] to be successful it should be open to all. Any economic development initiative should include all Western Balkan states in an equal treatment of”, Escobar said.

Escobar invited participants at this meeting to harmonise the Open Balkans “” with other active initiatives in the region, including the Berlin Process, and urged the region's leaders not to politicise the initiative.

I sincerely encourage this initiative to remain economic. It's not a political project. It's an important economic project. If you hold it as an economic initiative you will have more support”, Escobar said.

Even though there was an invitation for participation, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti refused this meeting after saying Kosovo remains engaged in the Berlin Process.

Kurti said that the “Open Balkans” is more like a “Balkan open to influences from the East”, than a initiative for a common regional market.

The three initiators of the “Balkan Open 2010x1>, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, and former Northern Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, have conceived this concept in 2019. They said it is aimed at creating an area of free movement of people, goods and services in the Western Balkans.