Rama in Podgorica: We don't need new heroes in the region, but new models.

“Heroisms belong to the past. We don't need new heroes in our region. We need new models, which inspire how to be more innovative, more creative, more efficient, how to make our economies stronger, how to stimulate development, how to increase our people's skills, to cope with a world that becomes increasingly difficult and more complex”, Rama said.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday continued his tour of the capitals of the Western Balkan states, which, according to Rama, aims to inform the countries of the region of preparations Albania is making to host the Berlin Process summit.

Rama stressed that he has notified Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic of preparations for the Berlin Process summit, which will be held October 16th in Tirana, and has talked with him about the NATO summit, which will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11th and 12th.

“For us it is very important that at this NATO summit we have a common position regarding the region and with regard to concerns in the region, being aware that thanks to the Berlin Process and thanks to all other initiatives we have undertaken, we are in another phase of our” history, Rama said.

Montenegro's technical mandate prime minister, Dritan Abazovic, said the common goal of Podgorica and Tirana is to reduce tensions throughout the Western Balkans region.

The goal is to invest together in extending the situation overall in the region. Montenegro's position is very clear we are only interested in higher co-operation, and we want it to be a path that our neighbours will take as well”, he said during the media conference with Prime Minister Rama.

Abazovic added that the Western Balkans should focus on the future, not the past”. He added that all open issues in the region must be closed as soon as possible so that Western Balkan states can focus on the common road towards membership in the European Union.

Friday's visit to Podgorica followed the visit to Sarajevo. A day earlier, Rama visited Skopje and Pristina.

In Pristina, Rama was met at the meeting by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, who after the meeting said that with Albania's prime minister, has discussed the next “processes on the international agenda, with the focus on NATO summit and the Berlin Process summit”.

Rama's meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti did not happen because this last one rejected this meeting.

Kurti had said the meeting with her would be held only under the collection of two governments -- Kosovo and Albania.

The two governments planned the joint meeting in Gjakova on 14 June, but it was cancelled by Rama due to tensions in northern Kosovo.

Rama's tour ends with a visit to Serbia, where she will meet with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vuciq. The Albanian prime minister's agenda has been warned that, along with Vuciqi, they will hold a joint media conference. / REL