Ohrid, 8 June 2022 (MIA) – The war in Ukraine turns Open Balkan into a greater necessity than before. Open Balkan is important for our people, for the common area, for our children and their future. We are focused on the future and we do not close our eyes before unresolved problems. They can be settled only if we cooperate and realize that we are important to each other, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told the Open Balkan Summit in Ohrid on Wednesday. PM Rama referred to the benefits of the Open Balkan initiative in the sector of tourism, trade and energy, but also setting up a joint mechanism for fire management. “I strongly believe that the more we get closer to one another the more chances we get to solve conflicts and bring permanent peace between Serbia and Kosovo. This is a topic on which President Vucic and I disagree but the solution is quite simple. Either we turn this disagreement into a bigger conflict, including all those gaps that are reflected in our economy and security, or do the opposite and get as close as possible in order to understand each other and make people aware that the future is more important than the past,” said PM Rama. On the Euro-integration process and expectations from the coming EU summit, the Albanian PM said he was not preparing for “this wedding”. “Every time the European Council is set to meet, we are getting ready as if a wedding is coming. I have said it before, Albania is no longer preparing for this wedding. If it happens then we will go there in casual attire, not formally dressed or spending lots of money for the banquet and then realizing that the groom will end up waiting at the door. Open Balkan is the groom and EU is the bride. It would have been better if we had been the bride. Nevertheless, our path is very clear. We want to build Europe here, build our systems for functional states, functional economies and everything else. When they are ready for the wedding, we will be prepared,” noted Rama. He added that the start of the EU accession negotiations would not materialize due to the lingering Bulgarian veto. “Therefore, I say to my friends in North Macedonia, don’t get too stressed out by this wedding because you are making us nervous as well. Bulgaria is a man with his own problems. We, Albanians, are fine. If they want to wed, we are here, if not, we are here again. No worries,” said Rama. According to him, the accession talks would not open until Bulgaria got bored with its logic. “We are talking about the start of negotiations, that’s it. Talks will be completed when the current Bulgarian PM is an old man, a grandfather. We are prepared and we want to be EU members. I used to go to Brussels to be encouraged, it now seems to be the case of me going there to encourage them. They used to be in top shape, now I sympathize with them. We are going there to give them a boost, because the Balkans will not die, this Open one even less. The Balkans will be here whichever way the Earth turns. Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania will not go to another planet, we are in the heart of Europe,” underlined Rama.