Belgrade, 30 July 2021 (MIA) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Friday that the regional initiate, known as of yesterday as the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative, is crucial for the future of citizens and is in the best interest of the region, so therefore its implementation will resume despite criticism, MIA reports from Belgrade. “There were a lot of positive and negative reactions, but aside from pointless isolation and xenophobic politics, I didn’t hear any serious arguments against it,” Vučić said. He added that some European centers have voiced criticism despite the fact that the regional initiative is based on the principles of free movement of goods, capital, services and people. The President underlined that he understands some of the anger, stemming from some stakeholders inability to have a say the region’s future, while “we have taken matters into our own hands and decide our own future.” “We’ll continue doing so, because that’s what free and independent countries do. We’re working in our own best interest. This initiative is very important for the future,” Vučić stressed. The reaction of Kosovo’s Albin Kurti and those of Sarajevo authorities, he added, hinted that the initiative will have a lot of opponents, who, Vučić said he doesn’t understand, as it’s in their best interest as well. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić underlined on Friday that the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative is one of the best things to happen in the region since before the conflicts in the 1990s. “It’s incredible and shows what we can do if the whole region joins us,” Brnabić told Parliament.