News
11/24/2021 03:29
With a moment of silence to honour the victims of the bus accident in Bulgaria today in the Serbian National Assembly in Belgrade started the political panel of the conference "The Open Balkans- A Path towards Stabilisation, Cooperation and Prosperity of the Region", where the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European affairs Nikola Dimitrov had an address as a representative of North Macedonia.
The discussion focused on the political dimension of this regional initiative in terms of benefits expressed through increased stability and prosperity. Deputy Prime Minister Dimitrov stressed that "The Open Balkans" initiative has a strong European dimension and potential to contribute to moving the process forward.
Dimitrov: "Bridging the economic gap is very important in the context of the European perspective of the region, the reform efforts aimed at the democratic principles and the rule of law, cannot be internalised if there is a lack of economic growth and social progress. The effect of delay and stagnation has a strong impact on our domestic policy and makes the challenge to maintain the European course even greater. This is why this initiative is completely complementary to the European vision and it is also an expression of political wisdom and reasonableness that our choice is not just to wait and do nothing, but on the contrary, there is proactivity and preparedness for our contribution and delivering results. "The areas that are the subject of this cooperation are also our responsibilities on the path to the EU."
He underlined that "The Open Balkans" as a mechanism for regional cooperation is complementary to other initiatives within the Berlin Process as well. Dimitrov stressed that the results of the cooperation should not be limited to political rapprochement, but to real benefits for citizens, especially youth.
Dimitrov: "Through these steps of rapprochement we actually strengthen good neighbourly relations and improve the situation in the region, because when we are directed towards each other, when we are close mutual trust grows, we do not perceive each other as a threat, thus stability and prosperity are strengthened. However, the efforts for rapprochement should not be limited to the political level, but what is the most important is to invest in direct interpersonal relations and to create opportunities, especially for the youth. I always emphasize that we are in a race against time to make this region European in order to keep young people at home. The more success we achieve, the greater the motivation to join will be, as well as the response to the message that we deserve a European future."
The event was organised by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, the Serbian-American Friendship Congress and the East-West Bridge, where the US Special Representative for the Western Balkans - Deputy Assistant Secretary Gabriel Escobar, as well as the Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama. Deputy Assistant Secretary Escobar stressed that the region offers many opportunities for cooperation and contributes to stability, which is why it is necessary to complete the European integration process with full membership of these countries in the Union, as a strategic goal of the United States.