TIRANA, December 23/ATA/-“The Balkan Schengen is an early initiative of regional cooperation and good neighborly relations that goes side by side with the Berlin process through which the European Union itself has urged the Western Balkan states to create a more attractive regional market for foreign investment”, said today the Socialist Party MP Senida Mesi.
Being a guest to a television studio, Mesi said that, “The Balkan Schengen agreement is in the interest of all the countries in the region”.
“The World Bank predicts that economic growth will slow down therefore, the Western Balkans market should be seen without any barriers to people, goods, services and capital,” said Mesi.
According to her, “There will be benefits for all states”. “I would see it being in the benefit of Albania itself, the citizens, and the business of Albania. President of Serbia Vucic said there are 500,000 trucks moving in the Balkans. According to my calculations, it turns out that there are 153 thousand trucks moving from our country toward the countries of the region. This is a trade that is happening now, and it is a positive thing if Balkan leaders sit down to facilitate this trade that is already taking place, such as the procedures, unified documentation and even get to know it online,” said Mesi.
She emphasized that, “There are less costs, less waiting, less corruption, almost zero smuggling and there are services and products that Albanian consumers get cheaper and faster”.
In regard to Kosovo, Mesi said that, “Taking a seat at the table of the Balkan Schengen Summit, in which Montenegro joined in the third meeting, in addition to North Macedonia and Serbia, does not mean that Kosovo’s claims for Serbia recognizing its independence are not valid.”
“It seem we still want to live with ghosts of the past. But, these prevent us from making initiatives for the future. I understand the Kosovo authorities when they have insist in their condition that Serbia should recognize them as an independent state. But, at the same time, such an agreement does not prevent any of the countries from being part of the table,” said Mesi./j.p/p.s./
