The “Open Balkan” initiative requires the participation of all six Western Balkan countries in order to succeed, warned President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski on Wednesday.
Pendarovski is on a one-day visit to Prishtina to meet with Kosovo leaders. During a press conference with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, he said that he had been skeptical of the initiative since its inception in 2019 given its scope.
The “Open Balkan” project was initiated by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, and Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro have refused to join.
The Macedonian President said that while “Open Balkan” can be a useful tool for economic cooperation, it cannot replace the Berlin Process.
During the press conference, Osmani described the initiative as incompatible with the fundamental principles of regional cooperation.
She declared that European integration remains a priority for Kosovo, but criticized the European Union for failing to grant visa liberalization to Kosovo citizens even though the country has met all requirements.
