A day after the Open Balkans Summit was held in Ohrid, today the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, reacted, refusing to join this initiative, despite the invitation that has been made to him from time to time.

Kurti said that in order to have an “Open Balkans”, Serbia must be open to Kosovo.

The head of the Government of Kosovo said that the readiness for regional cooperation is expressed with the support for the Berlin Process and the commitment for the common regional market.

“We do not believe in the self-sufficiency of the Balkans, the Balkans do not consist of only 6 countries in general. The Western Balkans, still not integrated in the EU, consists of 6 countries, these can not be treated together, because we have countries that have not condemned it and have not imposed sanctions on Russia. There are states in the Western Balkans that are on the side of Ukraine and we have states like the work of our northern neighbor that is on the side of the Russian Federation and its despotic president. In order to have an ‘Open Balkans’, it is Serbia that must be open to Kosovo,” said Kurti.

“If a citizen of Kosovo wants to go to Serbia, even to visit relatives in Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac, or to transit through that country, his passport is not accepted, if he shows his ID card, it is taken only to collect biometric data “, said Kurti.

The Prime Minister continued by saying that the EU is the fate of Kosovo, “Europe is our continent, and for this we are steadfast.”

/Klara Ruci/