Prime Minister Edi Rama concluded his two-day Balkans tour this evening with a visit to Belgrade, where he met with President Aleksandar Vucic, as part of the Balkan tour that took place in the countries of the region related to the Berlin Process.

The situation in the north of Kosova and the relations between Prishtina and Belgrade were the main topics of the talks between Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, during the meeting held between them this Friday as part of the Balkan tour taken by the head of the Albanian government.

During the joint press conference, Rama emphasized the need for the creation of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, while he considered the delay in this direction a “strategic mistake”.

“The proposal for the draft statute for the Association is a contribution that I made and it is very positive, but it is not something that the two parties must necessarily accept, nor has it been taken into consideration by either party. I am sorry that some do not want to understand that this was a contribution to Kosova. I have not consulted with the President of Serbia about this. I think that delaying the establishment of the Association is a strategic mistake. Also, I think that insisting on staying in municipal buildings is also a mistake,” said Rama.

Albanian Prime Minister added that the only way forward is dialogue and the implementation of the Franco-German Plan.

“With the tensions that are present in the north of Kosova, we avoid expressing our opinions publicly, so as not to worsen the situation and turn it in the wrong direction. I will repeat that the only way forward is the path of dialogue and agreement based on the Franco-German Plan. “No one should underestimate the risk of escalation to the point where we find ourselves in a situation where armed movements start doing something that we must not allow to happen. It would lead us to a situation comparable to Donbass,” he said.

On the other hand, Vucic said that he has not seen Rama’s proposal for the Association, but added that its creation should be based on the Brussels agreement. He added that Serbia’s goal is peace and that his country is working in this direction.

“The Serbian side has already fulfilled everything. We want peace and we are working towards it, however difficult it may be, there will always be those in Tirana and Pristina who will always see the culprit in Serbia. I never had a problem talking to Kurti, I participated in all the conversations. It is up to us to maintain peace and think about economic progress. I have not seen Edi Rama’s proposal. Put the principles in the statute and that’s it, the Serbs accepted everything else, even civil protection. The bottom line is that the Community of Serb Municipalities must be formed. I have not seen any proposal,” said Vucic.

Earlier Rama was in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, while on Thursday (July 6) the head of the Albanian government stopped in North Macedonia and Kosovo. Rama undertook a two-day tour of the region, as part of the preparations for the Berlin Process, which Tirana will preside over in October.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Rama visited Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, where he was received by high state authorities.

Prime Minister Edi Rama started yesterday the two-day tour in the countries of the Western Balkans with visits to North Macedonia and Kosova and meetings with high officials of these countries.

On October 16, 2023, Tirana will host the next summit of the Berlin Process, while Prime Minister Rama’s talks with the leaders of the countries of the region focused on the Berlin Summit and also on the coming high level NATO Summit.

/a.p/