In his address at the Open Balkan summit being held in Ohrid, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama reiterated that the region must look ahead to the future and not from the past despite the dispute between Kosovo and Serbia.
He dismissed allegations that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would have an impact on the Balkans considering Belgrade’s strong ties with Moscow.
“We didn’t have to wait for the war in Ukraine to learn about the relationship Russia has with Serbia and that there’s a conflict between Serbia and Kosovo. We chose to look to the future”, Rama said.
Rama cited a government survey that found that 60% of Albanians are in favor of the Open Balkan.
In addition, he took as an example one of the positive outcomes of the initiative which prevented a halt of the wheat supply from Serbia.
‘Let the forests burn rather than be helped by Serbs?’
Prime Minister Edi Rama explained that they are working on the logistics with Serbia and North Macedonia to clear out disaster situations, such as the case with wildfires.
“I am confident that this summer people will see the results of this mechanism, we will help out each other with the logistics. Better let our forests burn than getting help from the Serbs? The closer we get, the greater are the chances of resolving disputes… the greater are the chances of permanent peace between Albania and Kosovo”, he concluded.
Rama also listed some of the benefits resulting from the Open Balkan.
“Exports have increased. Do you know how much they’ve increased between Albania and Serbia? Exports of Albanian farmers are up by 63%. It’s a market where our farmers are selling and making a profit”, said the head of the Albanian executive.
Rama said incoming tourism from Serbia rose by 110%, and 51% from North Macedonia, adding that these figures are expected to grow even further in the summer season.
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