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A day before the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana, official sources of the European Union have focused on the main axes on which the summit will be based and the expectations from the summit.
First, from a symbolic point of view, for the European Union it was the right moment to hold for the first time an EU-Western Balkan summit in the Balkan region.
This followed the positive spirit created by the holding of the first EU-Albania and EU-North Macedonia intergovernmental conference on July 19, 2022.
“This is the reason why we are holding such an event in the region for the first time. There was a proposal from Prime Minister Rama that this summit be held in Tirana, and this was very well received by the European Union,” EU official sources said.
According to them, this should also be seen in the spirit in which the concept of the European Political Community is being followed.
“We are also looking at the possibility of including the countries of the region in the second meeting of the European Political Community. And maybe this second meeting will be held in Moldova” EU sources said.
The new geopolitical context imposed by Russia’s aggression/war in Ukraine has made the European Union more aware than ever, that the membership of the Western Balkans in the European Union is a priority.
This is the reason why in the final statement of the summit that will take place tomorrow in Tirana, in the political aspect it is expected to call for the acceleration of membership negotiations with the countries of the region, in terms of security Serbia will be called to join the EU sanctions -against Russia and in economic terms, the internal regional market will be strengthened in several dimensions.
The most favorable moment for the European Union to reach such an agreement is March 2023, although the date is not officially articulated, with the mediation of the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and the support of France, Germany and the USA. The EU’s special envoy for the dialogue is in Belgrade today and will also visit Pristina.
The message conveyed by the official sources of the EU regarding the statement of the Serbian president, Aleksander Vucic, about non-participation in the EU-Western Balkans summit, is a distraction.
First, the official sources of the EU state that it would be good for Serbia to be represented at the highest level at this summit and align without wasting time with the EU sanctions against Russia.
/abcnews.al
