Osmani: European shared future is only option for EU and Western Balkans
Skopje, 15 November 2021 (MIA) – The only option for the EU and the Western Balkans is the European shared future. The enlargement process encompasses more than just foreign policy and goes into the core of home affairs and integration, and this must be seen as a test of the Union’s capacity as a global actor, said Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani on Monday.
FM Osmani took part in event ”Discussing the Future of Europe – Perspectives and Contributions from the Western Balkans” at the College of Europe’s Bruges campus, alongside regional counterparts and co-chairs of the Conference on the Future of Europe, under the new B6 format launched at the Prespa Forum Dialogue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
Osmani said he saw the debate as sending a clear political signal that the EU and the countries of the Western Balkans share a responsibility for the common European future, with destinies interwoven around the fundamental values and principles upon which the Union rests.
He highlighted North Macedonia’s model as a functional multiethnic democracy, a mixture of cultures and languages, reflecting the European motto “United in Diversity” in every sense of the word.
“Our model contributes to the richness and diversity of the broader European society, teaching us how to accept each other, learn from one another and about the other,” noted Osmani.
College of Europe Rector Federica Mogherini, the former EU High Representative, chaired the panel that also included European Parliament rapporteurs for the WB and students, reads the press release.