The prime ministers of Serbia and Albania Aleksandar Vucic and Edi Rama, in the TV Show “Okruzenje”, agreed that it might be too late that mutual dialogue compensate everything what was lost in the last quarter of a century because of poor relations between Serbia and Albania, but it is evidently a time to overcome barriers.
Vucic said that Albanians and Serbs are the most numerous nations in the Balkans and in spite of racist prejudice towards each other, they must cooperate. Rama said that Albanians and Serbs can do the same for the Balkans as the Germans and the French once did for Europe pointing out that they should work in creating the common market and better use of the energy sector. Goran Svilanovic, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council stressed that dialogue is late, but he congratulated two Prime Ministers initiating of a dialogue, calling it a historic moment of two nations. During the show, was announced the opening of a regional office for cooperation of young people, which was initiated exactly by Albania and Serbia, whose headquarters will be in Belgrade and Tirana.
Albanian and Serbian Prime Minister agreed during the program that they will always have different opinion when it comes to Kosovo, but it must not stop the dialogue. “We talk with Priština. They call that talk a dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, and we call it dialogue of Belgrade and Pristina. We signed important agreements which should be neither celebrated, nor regretted. There will be many agreements like these, and if we don’t do it we don’t have any other option,… what… to kill each other? It’s a long road, we have a different opinion, but I do not see a problem. I am even convinced that Serbia and Albania are not the biggest problem in the Balkans, but that it is Bosnia and Hercegovina,” said Vucic answering to the question of how it is possible to build good relationships when there is still a different position on Kosovo.
And Albanian prime minister stated that different opinions on Kosovo do not obstruct them to talk, but added that Serbia was not responsible for the fact the people in Kosovo is the only one in Europe traveling with visas. “This is the responsibility of the EU,” said Albanian Prime Minister, who praised Serbia for the attitude towards migrants.
