Joint press conference of Prime Minister Edi Rama, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovačevski in Brussels:

 

Prime Minister Edi Rama attended the EU-Western Balkan Summit in Brussels on Thursday. Prime Minister Edi Rama, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovačevski held a joint press conference following the EU-Western Balkans Summit:

Statement by PM Edi Rama: Thank you everyone and for being here with us and let me express my deep sorrow for the European Union. I feel sorry for them and I hope we can help them.

 I told them it feels good and bad to be with them. It feels very good because we are Europeans and being among Europeans is of course a great thing, but it also feels bad because we still can’t be here as Europeans, but as guests in a divided house. And it is really very worrisome thing that even a pandemic, an assault on a global scale, nor a very threatening war that can turn into a tragic global war have been able to unite them. So, what can we do?

We would very much appreciate if this new political community of Europe comes into place for us to be all together in a single house as a single family, although living separately in different floors, but where we would at least share the living room together.

Secondly, of course North Macedonia was the main topic, which once was known by the name Macedonia, just for you to remember, or FYROM as our Greek brothers would say. But 17 years later, North Macedonia is still waiting as a candidate country to open the EU accession talks. The country even changed its name, but it didn’t make any difference. Imagine for a second if France or Italy were to change their names just to become EU members! North Macedonia even changed its name, whilst Albania has been waiting since eight years now. I had to win the third term in office to keep waiting for the accession talks to start. It was very much important to say the truth that the reason is not simply Bulgaria. Let’s say the truth. Bulgaria is a disgrace, but it is not simply Bulgaria. The reason is the crooked spirit of EU enlargement and Bulgaria is its most stunning expression. The enlargement spirit has gone from a shared vision of an entire community to the kidnapping vehicle of individual member states and we have already seen it. Every time there is something happening in a member state, this vehicle is put in motion immediately.

So this Bulgarian affair is a disgrace, with a NATO country kidnapping to other NATO countries, while a war is going on in Europe’s backyard and under the watch of 26 other countries that are totally impotent altogether. And then they say – I am saying what I told them – that Vladimir Putin is very sick. Well, Vladimir Putin may be very sick or he may be very well, but for sure this place here is not looking very healthy.

The Russian aggression on Ukraine is receiving extra generous and unsolicited help from a NATO country, Bulgaria, to destabilize another NATO country, North Macedonia and to further lead the resentment and discontent in a neighbourhood like ours, which is really the weak link in this entire situation.

Meanwhile, we have moved forward and we will continue to move forward to revive the spirit  of Europe in our own neighbourhood, namely with Berlin Process – this is how it is called, Berlin Process – and the Open Balkan is the name of the initiative we have created to make Berlin concrete and a real deal in the ground.

Anyhow, they mean well, by no doubt. And please don’t take me wrong. It is a nice place, nice people, nice pictures, and nice words. But it would be nicer if they delivered. One day we will become nice members of the EU.

And beyond all this, I don’t want to take longer, but I simply stated two other important things. There is another kidnapping in the process, which is the kidnapping of the Kosovo citizens, who are not allowed to move freely in Europe.

This is crazy. This is a shame and this should end and Kosovo people should be allowed to move freely.

Secondly, I had to voice something and I feel somehow sorry that this was needed to be said, because normally everyone should know it that Serbia is in a very different position. Serbia is a totally different reality and I just tried to explain that it is about a country where Vladimir Putin’s popularity is 80% and it is a country where the public opinion is not so keen to run and come to Brussels. It is quite the contrary. But it is a country that out of any expectation, even I didn’t expect it frankly and I even didn’t call Aleksandar as I was afraid that he could say: “Sorry, but we have to go on the other side” and this would have been the end of any relations and I was thinking this would be a problem. Three times aligning with the European Union and the West against Russia, even voting to expel Russia from the Human Rights Committee.

We don’t want a war. We don’t need conflicts. We don’t want blood and tensions back in our region and that’s why we want to push further in the direction we have picked.

Don’t let that faith  – Albanians still have a big faith in Europe  and they continue to have it, despite the European Union and all the farces, because for the first time in our history we are given the opportunity to be where we want, not under regimes or empires that we didn’t pick. For us Europe is a religion, Europe for us is not Brussels. So Albanians will continue, but in the Western Balkans there are also many pro-Europeans, in North Macedonia and so on and so forth.