Belgrade, 4 November 2021 (MIA) – North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania, represented by Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov, President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Edi Rama respectively, said Thursday the Open Balkan is an exceptional initiative and agreed on setting up an Implementation Council to coordinate prior agreements and bottlenecks in the free flow of people, commodities and services, MIA reports from Belgrade. The meeting focused on software networking and digital transformation with the support of the Atlantic Council, whereas building solidarity and economic development are seen as the pillars of integration. A memorandum on work permits is to be signed at next month’s meeting of the initiative in Tirana. “We agreed that the countries’ business communities are 100-percent on board with this project, but it is a fact that we struggle to implement what has been agreed,” President Vucic told a joint press conference and added that the Implementation Council is to be set up, along with analyses made by institutions and inspections. “We have to identify the shortcomings. Businessmen say that when exporting, for example, raw milk to North Macedonia, the lorries are stranded at the border from Friday evening up to Monday morning, which is unacceptable. We will make a complete check and control of what has been agreed,” noted Vucic. Deputy PM Dimitrov said regional cooperation is the wise, right and European choice. “The fact that we are here demonstrates the significance that the Government of North Macedonia attaches to regional cooperation. We are currently in a complex political situation but this initiative is important and we cannot allow ourselves to be absent,” said Dimitrov. According to him, the initiative is a step towards achieving the European vision of a borderless Balkans, “caring for each other like we care for ourselves”. “The initiative aims to build solidarity through the setup of a single market, transition to green economy and mutual support in disaster management,” added Dimitrov. He said the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank have projected that the GDP of each country would rise by ten percent compared to the pre-pandemic levels, highlighting the enormous benefit of removing trade barriers. With regards to the EU, he expressed belief that the more regional countries cooperate, the easier to convince the EU that the area would not import problems but solutions. “Regional cooperation is not an alternative to Euro-integration, it serves to push EU integration. Amid a shaken European idea, we cannot stand aside and do nothing,” said Dimitrov. PM Rama said the Open Balkan cannot be held hostage by any country and highlighted the initiative’s inclusiveness for all regional states. “We have said again to those who don’t understand or don’t want to understand that the Open Balkan is open, comprehensive and belongs to all, not only Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia. However, Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia, which have decided to move forward, will not wait for others,” said Rama.