Scholz at the Berlin Summit: New dynamics needed in normalising Kosovo relations- Serbia

Scholz made comments at the opening of the Berlin Process summit, attended by representatives of all Western Balkan states and partner countries.

We need a new dynamic... I would tell friends from Belgrade and Pristina today: Please don't let your past hold you back on the road to a peaceful and promotional future. I am convinced that this future lies in the EU and there is only one road leading there: full implementation of the agreements reached”, Scholz said during the entry word.

“I will continue to engage personally with both countries to make sure they exploit this option”, he added.

Launched in 2014 by then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Berlin Process marks ten years this year.

The aim of its summits, which are held annually, is to gradually draw Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia closer to the EU.

Of the six countries in the region, only Kosovo is not an official candidate for EU membership.

Speaking of the importance of the Berlin Process, Scholz said it “is the best instrument not only for regional co-operation, but also for accelerating the European integration of all Western Balkan countries”.

The European Union is complete with the Western Balkans as part of its”, he said.

Scholz, too, warned of the signing of two new documents at today's summit, which, as he said, will make people's lives easier.

The first, according to him, has to do with a new action plan for the common regional market, while the second in a new movement agreement, including access to higher education.

“A decade of will, work and commitment to draw our region closer to the EU”, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who is present at the summit, wrote on Facebook.

Over the years, several agreements and statements have been made in the Berlin Process, but many of them have not been implemented. / REL/