TIRANA, May 29 – The next meeting of the regional leaders of the Open Balkans in Ohrid, North Macedonia, will be held early next month. So far, the three countries part of this initiative – Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia, have signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding between them.
The agreements and memoranda signed so far are related to the abolition of border controls between these countries, cooperation in facilitating the import, export and movement of goods, free access to the labor market and protection against natural disasters in the Western Balkans.
Statements by Kosovo top officials have suggested the country is expected to decline any invitation to the next Open Balkans meeting scheduled for June 7th in Ohrid, North Macedonia.
Although Montenegro has signaled a change of attitude for this regional initiative through Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, who has announced that he will be part of the Ohrid meeting, there is no change of attitude in Kosovo. So far the same stance is maintained by Bosnia and Herzegovina, too.
The ruling party Levizja Vetëvendosje (Self Determination Movement) in Kosovo remains steadfast in its stance against the Open Balkans. The Democratic Party of Kosovo and civil society share the same attitude.
Vetëvendosje Movement MP Arbër Rexhaj told KosovaPress on Saturday that the Open Balkans does not help Kosovo in economic or security terms, but strengthens Serbia. According to him, the regional cooperation of the Western Balkan countries should be done in the framework of the Berlin Process.
“We are against (the Open Balkans) and in support of the Berlin Process. We think that the Open Balkans does not help in the economic aspect of security and other processes of the Republic of Kosovo, on the contrary, it strengthens Serbia,” he said.
Although she says that the Open Balkans is not very different from the Berlin Process, the deputy chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Vlora Citaku, emphasized that the problems between Kosovo and Serbia are not of a commercial and economic nature, but political.
“In essence, there is no big difference between the Berlin Process and the Open Balkans. The fundamental difference I would say is that in the Berlin Process we have European guarantees, direct involvement and Brussels dictates the pace of the agreements. However, we must be clear that the problem between Kosovo and Serbia is not of commercial and economic reason, but is of a political nature, “said Citaku.
On the other hand, Arbëresha Loxha of the Group for Legal and Political Studies told KosovaPress that Kosovo should not join the Open Balkans.
“Any initiative, including the Open Balkans, which is set as a tendency to replace Kosovo’s integration progress in the European Union and to bypass the Berlin Process does not favor Kosovo and would be harmful if we become part of it,” she said, adding that all Western Balkan countries are already signatories to the SAA and must adhere to the standards and specifics guaranteed by this agreement. “On the other hand, we have the CEFTA agreement, but it is not being respected by some countries towards Kosovo,” said Loxha. /Argumentum.al
