The Open Balkans initiative should keep people here and contribute to the development of the region, Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said today.
“I believe that such conferences and support for the Open Balkans for Serbia and every country that is within that process, and that is Albania and Northern Macedonia, but also every country that is considering being part of this initiative, can bring good to the whole region,” said Mihajlovic in the Assembly of Serbia, at the opening of the conference “Open Balkans – The Road to Stabilization, Cooperation and Prosperity of the Region”.
“Removing physical barriers, but above all non-physical barriers is a condition for the economic development of all our countries. We must connect if we really want to do everything we can to keep our people living here. Statistics show that over 100,000 people in one year alone go from our three countries to live in some other countries,” Mihajlović emphasized.
She pointed out that such initiatives can lead to the creation of good enough conditions for people to stay and for the economy to function well.
“The Congress of Serbian-American Friendship wanted to send a message that everyone who wants to support this initiative is welcome. All citizens and businessmen who want this initiative to come to life and benefit from the Open Balkans. I believe that we are countries that are open to democracy, society and in that sense the Open Balkans initiative will contribute to our development,” said Mihajlović.
The United States gives full support to the region’s ongoing efforts towards economic coordination and integration, US Ambassador Anthony Godfrey said today, emphasizing that the goal of the Open Balkans initiative, which advocates the free flow of people, goods, capital and services, is crucial for Serbia’s European future and for the whole region.
“In order for the Open Balkans to reach its full potential, the entire region must be involved. It must also be complementary to the Berlin Process, which continues to enjoy our full support,” Godfrey said at a press conference in the Serbian Parliament.
He stated that the economic integration of the neighbors will quickly benefit the citizens of the region, and not just abstract goals.
“That means higher salaries and cheaper products,” Godfrey said.
The ambassador said that the United States believes that the Open Balkans will help implement difficult but essential reforms for the final accession to the European Union.
Member of Parliament and founder of the Congress of Serbian-American Friendship, Vladimir Marinkovic, expressed satisfaction that the National Assembly is hosting the “Open Balkans” conference today and pointed out that the National Assembly will be quick and dynamic in adopting legal regulations in order to make the initiative come to life as soon as possible.
He pointed out that the National Assembly of Serbia will maximally support what the three governments in the region agreed on, considering that, as he says, that will give a connotation to that initiative and affect the quality of life of citizens in the entire region.
Marinkovic stated that at today’s conference, in addition to the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, the Deputy Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia Nikola Dimtrov, the Special Envoy for the Balkans Gabriel Escobar, representatives of the business community, large foreign and domestic companies will also speak online.
He also states that during today’s conference, the Factor Plus agency will present the regional research that it conducted in Serbia, Albania and Northern Macedonia on the issue of this initiative.
Marinkovic thanked his American friends, especially the US Ambassador to Serbia, Anthony Godfrey, for supporting the Open Balkans initiative and the type of cooperation that implies the free flow of goods, services, people and capital, RTV reports.
