Skopje, 9 March 2023 (MIA) – On the margins of the Budapest Balkans Forum, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani held separate meetings on Thursday with his Albanian and Serbian counterparts, Olta Xhaçka and Ivica Dačić respectively.

The meetings were focused on issues related to bilateral political and economic relations, cooperation within regional initiatives, emphasizing the European integration process of the Western Balkans and North Macedonia’s OSCE Chairmanship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

Welcoming the progress in the negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, Osmani noted that finding a solution to the open issues will mark a new page not only in the relations between the two countries, but also in the overall regional dynamics that are influenced by the changed geopolitical landscape and the expectations for faster integration into the European Union.

Ahead of the meetings in Ohrid, on March 18, Osmani underscored that a permanent and sustainable solution will ensure peace, stability and progress of the region as a whole.

They also discussed about the importance of the agreements signed within the framework of the Open Balkans initiative, as well as the agreements signed within the Berlin process, since last November. In this regard, they underlined that the realization of the obligations undertaken by these agreements remains a priority of the signatory countries, reads the press release.