TIRANA, November 10 /ATA/- “There is nothing new in this Balkan Mini-Schengen initiative, but it carries everything we have agreed on in the 10 roundtables we have held across Europe among the 6 leaders of the Western Balkan countries”.
Prime Minister Edi Rama made this statement during a joint press conference with North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Ohrid on Sunday.
“This initiative foresees the free movement of people across the region, which means free movement without queues, without two pairs of police, without two sets of checks, without tips to cross faster the border with North Macedonia and Kosovo” said PM Rama.
“This is not an initiative stemming from nothing, it is an implementation of everything that we have agreed between the 6 countries and all roundtables in context of the integration process,” said PM Rama.
In answer to the question whether following President Macron’s decision the Balkan leaders are considering another option, PM Rama said: “Shall we expect to become EU members for farmers to move their production from Albania to North Macedonia? What about Albanians living here in Ohrid, shall they wait for joining the EU so that to cross the border without two police controls? ”
“This is an absolutely normal process and it serves to the freedom of movement. While Germany celebrates the fall of the walls, shall we build walls? The issues that separate us are resolved through communication. But, in the meantime to give people breathing is simple and there is no alternative. The alternative is to make people live a better life here and to continue the process of EU integration, ” said PM Rama./j.p/p.s./
