TIRANA, July  6 /ATA/ – By Maela Marini/ Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday underlined the key role of the Berlin Process while, according to him, “we are at the moment of making the transition to another phase of relations with the European Union.”

At the joint press conference in Skopje alongside the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski, Rama said that “we must set our mind and  heart on the Berlin Process.”

“We need to make the Berlin Process a fully functional process, as the Open Balkan showed that we can be operational when we join forces. The Berlin Process was not held back by those who designed the Open Balkan. It remained stalled due to the vetoes ‘No, I don’t want this, I’m not coming there, I’m not signing, I’m not here, see you tomorrow.’ That’s why it remained stalled,” said Rama.

The Prime Minister said that he is hopeful that it will now be given a new impetus, considering that it is not merely a process as until today.

“I really hope that we will turn it into a process directly related to the financing plan, the new financing plan of the European Union, for which we definitely need Germany, first and foremost, and then all the other countries to implement it together,” he said.

Rama emphasized that “we are at a moment of making a transition to another phase of relations with the European Union and for this, the Berlin Process is crucial, it is a bridge and as such it needs to be reinforced.”

“In order for us to hold on to and focus on this bridge without being disturbed by these winds, currents, countercurrents, the Open Balkan, this and that, we need to set the sight on the Berlin Process. That’s all,” said Rama.

/r.e/sm/