The rhetoric used by PM Edi Rama and Albin Kurti on the Open Balkan initiative were at the center of the debate on tonight’s Shock.
Baton Haxhiu described Kurti as a person that doesn’t endorse any project’, including the Berlin Process.
“Albin Kurti doesn’t support any initiative, neither Open Balkan, nor the Berlin Process, or the dialogue”, he said.
But Andi Bushati criticized his approach and emphasized that Kurti has in fact fully sided with the Berlin Process.
But Haxhiu, also maintained that the language used by Kurti during his communication with reporters was not only against the initiatives but also against Edi Rama and Albania.
“He (Kurti) said to be against the Open Balkan as it harms Kosovo and the Albanians of Kosovo but did not give any other reasons. Initially, he said it’s a Russian and Chinese project. First of all, this is offensive to the Albanian Prime Minister. He is a man that doesn’t have the courage to make any decision”, said Haxhiu.
On the other hand, Bushati reiterated that the federal chancellor “diplomatically buried the Open Balkan initiative”.
According to him, Merkel did not specifically mention the initiative but stressed that the Berlin Process is irreplaceable.
“Chancellor Merkel literally said that the Berlin Process is irreplaceable. What do we make of that if we put in the context of what Rama is saying that the Open Balkan is simply an extension. Meanwhile, Merkel did not see it as something incorporated”, concluded Bushati.
