Rama in Montenegro: We should be committed to the Berlin Process

(Patria) - The countries of the region should be committed to the Berlin Process, assessed the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama during his visit to Montenegro, adding that the Open Balkan (OB) has fulfilled its purpose.

Rama told a press conference after meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazović that OB is not his private company but a joint initiative of several countries.

“I had the privilege to participate in it, and if I were to go back a thousand times – a thousand times I would launch that initiative,” Rama said.

When asked if Albania had abandoned OB, he replied that the initiative had fulfilled its mission.

He added that OB had been met with conspiracy theories that it was a Chinese-Russian plan.

“This did not negatively affect OB and the Berlin Process, but it caused other countries to create doubts about the initiative. We should be committed to the Berlin Process. We cannot allow our attention to be diverted. We have a historic opportunity to enter a process that includes the financial plan of the European Union,” Rama said.

He stated that OB is not “a truck that started and was left behind in the meantime”.

“OB launched a wine fair, should we close it now? When a new wine fair starts, will you send producers or not?” Rama asked.

He said it was important for Montenegro and Albania to have a common stance at the upcoming NATO summit regarding the situation in the region.

“Future generations will not forgive us if we do not do everything possible to resolve the conflicts that have caused great bloodshed and opened deep divisions and hatred in the region,” Rama said.

He also said that he had informed Abazović about the informal meeting on July 17 in Tirana with representatives from Brussels.

When asked if he would continue to insist on Montenegro joining OB, Abazović replied that Montenegro is present in more than 70 initiatives.

“I maintain the position that we can only benefit from regional initiatives. Montenegro's interest, if we want to be successful in the EU accession process, is to bring regional cooperation to the highest level,” Abazović added.

He said that any initiative that can contribute to this is more than welcome.

“The goal is for all of us not to go back unnecessarily and to lose a couple of years in discussions we have already had. We are not founders of this initiative. If they continue, we are there,” Abazović stated.

Asked how he views the relations between Serbia and Kosovo, he assessed that the conflict is not good for either side, nor for the region.

He said that a lot of energy was spent to reach a proposal.

“This proposal may not be perfect, but it is good. My opinion is that it would be good to start implementing this agreement. It would be good for the entire region because it would be a sign that we are agreeing on issues and not moving away from them,” Abazović stated.

He said that the goal of Rama's visit to Podgorica is the de-escalation of the situation in the region and the Western Balkans' turn towards the future.

“The region's focus must be on the future, not on the past,” Abazović said, adding that Montenegro hopes that open issues in the region will find a final resolution.