DPM Abazović: There is no alternative to the EU

Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazović participated in the conference Open Balkans and/or European integration: An answer or a diversion?, organised by the South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX).

Speaking about Montenegro's approach to regional initiatives, Abazović stated that our state strongly supports any kind of improvement of cooperation.

For us, the EU is the main priority and the final stop on the reform path. If we look at the Open Balkans as an alternative to the EU, then we are not for it, but I am not sure that this initiative is in conflict with European integration. On the contrary, any kind of deeper cooperation would lead to faster reforms. The goal is to work on reconciliation, but also on improving the standard of living. The two most important "pillars" of the region's transformation are the rule of law and the economy, Abazović said.

When asked how the idea of Open Balkans is perceived in Montenegro, Abazović answered that the idea was rather poorly communicated from the start.

If you tell people that "great-state" projects are behind this idea, they are logically against it. But when you explain to them that this is not really true and that the point is that they will no longer wait at the borders, that we will jointly apply for infrastructure projects and fight organised crime more strongly, then the perception changes. The region needs trust, and that is impossible to build if we see hostility in everything, said Abazović.

He reiterated his thesis that he is in favour of promoting the "European spirit", which means that borders should not be changed, but made invisible.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, and Albania’s Chief Negotiator with the European Union Zef Mazi also participated in the discussion. Discussant was Jessie Barton Hronešová from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, while the Co-Chairs were Director of South East European Studies at Oxford Othon Anastasakis and Dean of the European University of Tirana and Associate Professor at St Antony's College Belina Budini.