Prime Minister Edi Rama, in a conversation with Albanian media from Skopje, discussed the meeting of Western Balkan leaders and high representatives from the American and EU administrations held in Skopje, North Macedonia.

When asked about the presence of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, at this table, Rama remarked that these relations should not be treated as personal.

“There is nothing personal here. It’s the first time I’m at a dinner together with both of them, and it doesn’t seem to me that anything happened other than positive communication between everyone. Just as this format and these demands that the EU has today are for all of us, to provide the opportunity to gain much more in economic and financial terms,” declared Rama.

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of integrating countries within the region.

“This speaks for itself regarding what I have been saying that we need to integrate within the region to be prepared when we need to take a step further in the EU. If we had completed all the necessary tasks within the framework of the Berlin Process and utilized the Open Balkans mechanism as a working tool to implement the directives of the Berlin Process, we would be ready today,” Rama cited.

The Prime Minister highlighted that “we are not ready because we have wasted a lot of time and energy on dealing with terminology, things that are, in fact, the result of the lack of a common strategic vision among all members of the community of six countries and a reluctance to address internal matters in the context of this overarching issue that is both internal and shared.”

“The EU has made it very clear to us that if we are not united, whoever causes division will face penalties. Ultimately, this individual will penalize himself because he won’t reap the benefits. In this regard, I believe that the positive events of these 24 hours, whether it be last night’s dinner or even today, should send a message to all those who, instead of addressing the substance in their comments, criticisms, analyses, and public judgments, whether as individuals on social networks or as public spokespersons in media outlets that meeting and dialogue yield positive outcomes. At the end of the day, peace and cooperation are in everyone’s interest, while conflict and division serve the interests of politicians only briefly, not in the long run,” he added.

/m.ll/