Visar Ymer for “Open Balkans”: Kosovo is making mistakes in two respects

Ymer, for the Balkan Open Initiative, has said the Berlin process and this initiative if viewed economically, basically don't change much.

According to him, the idea of the Open Balkans is reinforcement of the Berlin process.

The Berlin Process cannot be realised without regional co-operation, it can accelerate through the Balkan” Open, Ymer said.

Invited to RTV Dukaagjini, he has said the reasoning of the current government but also the reluctance of past governments for the initiative is not sustainable.

The first question that should be put into place by Kosovo is how much regional integration processes are impacting, because only through this co-operation can the integration into the European Union” be strengthened, Ymer has added.

Analyst among other things has said whether Kosovo's problem is with Serbian hegemony, a solution should be found in trade exchange, but not ignored by regional initiatives.

“The problem that we have is with exporting goods, we're saying we don't want to be part of regional initiatives, those who say Serbia's hegemony prevents us from importing Serbian products”, Ymer said among other things.

He has said that this open Balkans initiative should be exploited because it will only strengthen Kosovo's status as a state and be considered an equal party at that table surrounded by neighbours from the region.

The only argument that I think is stable, that at the Open Balkans table should be regarded as an equal party, so as a state of the Republic of Kosovo, we should not make that we are dependent on Serbia's position, we should use this moment that in the context of the interests we have with the countries of the region to fight the hegemony of Serbia”, Ymer said.

According to him, it is important that arguments from the Government on this initiative be stable, because, as he says, this initiative can take a completely different form in the future.

“In the margins of the Balkan Open conference, US Ambassador to Belgrade Christopher Hill and Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic have met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, and these steps are being mostly supported by the US, which means it's key”, Ymer added.

Scholz visit, extremely important

Ymer for the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is expected to be in Kosovo on Friday, has said it is a welcome and important visit because Germany, according to him, is supporting Kosovo on many key points.

“We have a return of Germany's attention to developments in the Balkans, support in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Germany's support for CoE membership, as well as for visa liberalisation”, Ymer has said.

According to Ymer, Germany's presence and empowerment in the region along with support from the United States of America The United States is very important.

Ohrid, host of the Open “Balkan,”, without Kosovo

Otherwise, the next summit of the “Open Balkans” initiative will be held on June 7th and 8th.

Besides three founding states of this initiative -- Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Albania -- the participation of two other neighbouring states, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina has been warned.

At the meeting, which will be held in Ohrid, Northern Macedonia, Kosovo will not be participating. /Portal D