{"id":18271,"date":"2021-07-29T13:30:45","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T11:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/?p=18271"},"modified":"2021-07-29T13:56:11","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T11:56:11","slug":"rama-vucic-and-zaev-sign-cooperation-agreement-in-line-with-the-open-balkan-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/rama-vucic-and-zaev-sign-cooperation-agreement-in-line-with-the-open-balkan-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Rama, Vucic and Zaev sign cooperation agreement in line with the Open Balkan initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Economic Forum for Regional Cooperation held today in Skopje concluded with the signing of an agreement and two memorandums of cooperation between Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia.<\/p>\n

Rama, Vucic and Zaev also decided to rename the initiative whose ultimate objective is to remove borders and simplify bureaucracies among Western Balkan neighbors, calling it Open Balkan.<\/p>\n

Known earlier as the mini-Schengen, the initiative sparked a debate among the countries of the Western Balkans, with Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina refusing to join it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur countries are walking on the same path, we share the same vision and European values. This Open Balkan initiative is the initiative that the region needs\u201d, said in his closing remarks, North Macedonia\u2019s premier Zoran Zaev.<\/p>\n

Rama said that the three countries had signed an agreement to \u201cstand together in any case\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the spirit of this initiative and I don\u2019t want to say more\u201d, added Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.<\/p>\n

For the Serbian President, the agreements signed are a positive thing and will enable traveling across these countries without any obstacles.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether we can make things incomparably better than alone\u201d, declared Vucic, adding that the results will be more visible in the upcoming months.<\/p>\n

Kosovo, one of the topics left out of the agenda<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kosovo\u2019s declaration that it refuses to join the initiative, labeling it as \u201cthe Novi Sad initiative\u201d is one of the topics that was left out of the agenda, even when the three leaders were asked by journalists.<\/p>\n

Albanian Prime Minister Rama toughened his rhetoric by the end of the conference, stating:<\/p>\n

\u201cOn January 1, 2023, the waiting line at our borders will be zero seconds. Others are welcomed to come and join us. If they do, no one will stop them. Enough with the statements that they weren\u2019t invited. All six countries discussed this in Tirana, and the difference was clear, some do want it, and some do not\u201d.<\/p>\n

Asked from Euronews Albania, the office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo denied having received an invitation to participate at the forum.<\/p>\n

The Serbian president said that \u201cwhoever wants to join, is more than welcome\u201d, a statement strengthened even more by PM Zaev.<\/p>\n