Statement issued by Prime Minister Edi Rama at joint press conference with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, the President of Serbia, the President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Minister of Economy of Montenegro, following Ohrid Summit:

First of all, I would like to thank the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, my friend Zoran, for excellently organizing the meeting and for the welcome he extended to us.

I would also like to thank the President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Zvizdić, as well as the Minister of Economy of Montenegro, Mrs. Sekulić, for their presence, because for us, as I have already stated from the very beginning, it is written on the Novi Sad document and it has been constantly renewed, the idea is not to divide the Western Balkans into two smaller parts, because it is already tiny the way it is, but the idea is to include all Western Balkan countries.

All the rest, including everything we agreed upon at this follow-up meeting, have been written and endorsed by the six countries in various successive meetings, but have not been implemented. This initiative has been launched just to move the process forward and its peculiarity is that it comes as an internal willingness rather than a patronizing external initiative.

Our friends, our partners in the European Union, the European Commission, international financial institutions attended the today’s summit and, unlike previously, they were guests and not hosts. Should such a change worries someone, or many, this represents absolutely not a problem to the initiative itself.

I would also like to inform that we agreed to hold our next meeting on December 21 in Durres and that we have received official confirmation that the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr. Joseph Borrel, will also attend as he picks up the baton from Mrs. Mogherini and turns up naturally in this process as a continuation of an ongoing journey.

I am looking forward to seeing representatives from both Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to attend the summit in Durres after having rightly asked for more time to make all assessments and arrangements of the initiative’s elements we have previously agreed upon, as well as Kosovo’s involvement in this process as an equal and full-fledged member.

However, let me not shy away from dealing with the “elephant” here in the room – as the saying has it – and whish has to do exactly with Kosovo and I want to sound as clearly and straightforwardly as possible to for everyone who pretend not to understand, or don’t want to understand.

It is not the case to explain why, according to me, the pretend as if they are unable to understand, or are unwilling to understand, but it is time to say how many times we have met, sit, talked and agreed on everything already put down in black and white, now not merely as a memorandum of understanding, but as an action plan as part of this initiative among the six Western Balkan leaders in Sofia, London, Poznan, Trieste, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Vienne, Durres, Skopje, Sarajevo, Ulcinj, and as far as I do remember, neither Serbia, nor Bosnia and Herzegovina had recognized Kosovo during all these meetings, but this fact has not hindered neither the President, nor the Prime Minister of Kosovo to attend and speak up on behalf of Kosovo as first among equals and also agree on all elements of this initiative through documents that we have co-adopted together with our European partners.

As far as I can recall, following the war for Kosovo’s independence, it took a long time for the representatives of the new state of Kosovo to be accepted at the table, either by the then Serbian authorities, or the then Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities, when it came to the international meetings, because neither side agreed to sit down with them.

Now, over the past five years, since the Berlin Process was launched, Kosovo’s participation has never been questioned and I don’t know, or perhaps I am unable to understand, and I can’t figure out what is the interest, or what might be of the benefit of going many years back in time, this time, not due to disapproval, but due to self-exclusion.

The regional cooperation and unification of the four freedoms of the European Union in collaboration with the countries in the region, including also Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which do not recognize Kosovo, doesn’t imply that Albania has changed its attitude towards Serbia regarding Kosovo recognition, nor have I changed my opinion, which I have publicly stated on my first visit to Belgrade, that Serbia should recognize Kosovo. But in the meantime, the fact that this issue has not been still resolved is absolutely not a reason for Kosovo to suddenly exclude itself, and moreover it is not a reason for Albania and Kosovo not to protect their citizens’ economic and social development interests, which go through integration, through cooperation, go through inclusion and not through self-exclusion and isolation.

A simple question that would help both Kosovo and Albanian citizens, who for years have been going through hardship on the border between Albania and Kosovo; would they wish for the same old story of goods and people waiting for hours, even days, just to cross the border to continue, or instead, just like in whole Western Balkans, they would wish also for the border between Albania and Kosovo completely open up and ensure the four freedoms of the European Union, namely the free movement of people, free movement of goods; free movement of capital and free movement of services.

I believe that the border removal among the Western Balkan countries is not a Mini-Schengen. I don’t know who conjured up the word “mini.” It doesn’t fit me personally, at least, because being 1.98-m tall I have never felt “mini.”

In the meantime, if we are to name it just like the way it is, the Western Balkan Schengen, which means that all citizens, not only the EU citizens, but also those in the region, will have the right to move freely across the region, whenever they want, wherever they want, without the absurd obstacles they face today. They are obstacles that translate into staggering costs. The region has lost and continues to lose billions of euros, which means that our countries have lost and continue to lose just because of such border barricading, which are absolutely old fashioned and obsolete.

I deem very important the initiative of removing border between Kosovo and Albania, just like other borders, and other countries, including Serbia, have agreed upon that. Whoever talks about Yugoslavia he might have lived for a long time in Yugoslavia. I haven’t lived in Yugoslavia even for a single day, and whoever talks about the Yugoslavia’s rebirth is probably still attached to Yugoslav memories. I have no memory of Yugoslavia.

In the meantime, whoever talks about the so-called Big Albania when I talk about the border removal between Albania and Kosovo, should now fall silent. It is impossible for me to be both a “Mini-Yugoslav” and “Big Albania” promoter. I am simply a European citizen, doing nothing new, but merely taking part in a process I have been seeking for years now, so that we do not simply remain members of the Brussels-sponsored initiatives and simply prey to bureaucratic processes that do not translate into good for the citizens.

Let’s get back to the concrete topic.

Why Albanian agricultural products should be left to rot on the border with North Macedonia, on the border with Serbia, or on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, just like it is the case on the border with Kosovo. Because in this present case it is these barriers of any kind that hinder us. And let no one in Kosovo tell me that the fact that products are left to rot at the border as the result of unwillingness, or lack of efforts on my part, or on the part of our government, because the truth is different and easily readable.

Why the work permits should be different from those issued to the EU citizens? A EU citizen can freely travel to any member state and he can choose to work wherever he or she wishes to do so. Whereas a citizen from the countries in our region, an Albanian citizen for example should wait for many weeks in order to receive a work permit in Montenegro. Why tourists form the non-EU member states should apply for six visas just to visit our region, while instead they can easily undergo check on the border of only one country and freely travel and visit the whole region. Or should they travel six times from China just to visit the whole region, because they should go through six borders, six border police administrations.

These all could translate into economic profits.

I have a question for all of those talking about the diplomas. Why one should wait for 5, 10 even 15 more years for diploma recognition, just like we have waited for five years since we agreed at Belgrade meeting? After my Belgrade visit, I stopped over in Presheva. I pledged to Presheva’s Albanians to be prepared as their diplomas will be recognized and they will be able to live and work there through the diploma they have received in Albania. Who thinks about them? How is going to be addressed their plight? By adopting a self-excluding approach? By evoking old times? Or by reviving the old times?

Why all issues we have agreed upon over the past five years are not implemented? Or perhaps by not implementing any of what has been agreed upon by everyone, – I am talking about representatives of the six countries – the process of recognizing Kosovo would accelerate?

I strongly believe that peace is complex, but it is a process worth it. Because cooperation with those who not long ago were enemies is quite complex at peace time, yet it is the only process to make sure that the coming generations do not inherit hostility, but instead they inherit potential, opportunities and new conditions to prosper.

I am saying all these, because I know quite well what is about to ensue following this meeting too, just like it has already started ahead of the meeting, but none of these are either unexpected, unknown, or unheard of. From day one I took over as the Prime Minister of Albania, I have been preaching about the regional cooperation and integration and I will keep fighting for the regional cooperation and integration, strongly believing that the better life people lead, the more opportunities they are provided with, the higher will be the potential to settle and resolve the inherited conflicts.

Everyone will be certainly invited to attend the meeting in Durres next month, because I consider Kosovo’s participation, just like the participation of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, indispensable.

On the other hand, whoever thinks that he would earn Facebook likes, or praise from the short-sighted patriotism circles, is completely wrong.

So, it would be much better for us to come and be together, and, as it always has been the case, it is better to share our opinions, objections, refusals all together, because after all the quality if live doesn’t depend on whether you agreed, or how much you agreed, but on how you failed to agree. There are countless ways not to agree. The best way not to agree is the one that doesn’t threaten our common perspective. Of course, everyone is interested to win in this process. We are interested to win. Kosovo is interested to win. And there could be no process where one side wins and the other loses, but this is a process where everyone wins and of course, everyone tries to win as much as possible. But not by thinking that the other is winning.