Skopje, 31 March 2023 (MIA) - Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski says EU integration of the Western Balkans is very important, noting there is no alternative to the Union and a prosperous, stable and safe region.

PM Kovachevski told Serbian TV station Pink that the Open Balkan initiative and the Berlin Process are based on European values, because all citizens in the area have the right to live and cooperate among themselves, the Government said in a press release.

"The Open Balkan initiative is based on the four EU freedoms - movement of people, capital, goods and services. If one looks at the North Macedonia-Serbia trade exchange alone, it has reached EUR 1.1 billion, which is absolutely owed to the initiative and confirmed by businesses," says Kovachevski.

The PM says EU doors have mostly opened for the Western Balkans over the past ten years.

"Russia's military aggression in Ukraine faced the EU with the decision over its influence and involvement in the processes on the Western Balkans. That is why you see the Union focusing on the settlement of all open issues in the area," underlines Kovachevski.

Photo: Government of RNM