Skopje, 16 September 2021 (MIA) – We have a different position as prime ministers on the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative, but that’s not an obstacle to our great cooperation because it is our duty to serve our citizens, the economy, the institutions, and that’s exactly what we’re doing, PM Zoran Zaev told Thursday’s press conference with Kosovo counterpart Albin Kurti, in response to a reporter’s question about his opinion on Kosovo’s position on the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative. “I will only say that Kosovo is a sovereign and independent state, it builds its positions and we respect those positions,” said Zaev. According to him, there should be dialogue in the Balkans, there should be talks, to reach agreements. In that way, he said, we will be more Europeanized, we will improve regional cooperation and strengthen our path to the EU. “The entire Western Balkans, all six countries have no alternative but to join the EU. Any bilateral, multilateral agreement here in the region is absolutely for the sake of a faster, more efficient future in the EU for all our countries,” Zaev pointed out. Our country, he added, has taken courageous steps to achieve that goal, which is the goal of full EU membership. “We achieved the second strategic goal - NATO. In such circumstances, we believe that if the region cooperates more, the whole of Europe will respect it even more. The Balkans is no longer a powder keg, the Balkans is not a time bomb. The Balkans is the Balkans of the 21st century. Today we reaffirmed it with the Republic of Kosovo, all our ministers, us as prime ministers. I’m convinced that in the future dialogue, diplomacy, good thoughts, friendship, a helping hand are the future of the European part of the Balkans. We deserve to be there, as EU members,” Zaev stressed. PM Kurti, on his part, said they want more cooperation and realization of bilateral agreements between Kosovo and North Macedonia. Thursday's meeting between the two governments, according to him, is a proof of that. “We’re oriented towards the future. For us, the future is the European Union. The EU is our happiness, while Europe is our continent. Therefore, we will encourage all regional cooperation, the aim of which is the EU,” said Kurti. He added that the common desire showed at the meeting is a guarantee for them that what is signed on paper will be achieved in reality. “This readiness of ours and the seriousness that we show, I’m convinced that all these agreements will be implemented, and then we will continue to implement the other positive agreements that were stopped. I believe that by the end of our term, there will be no need to talk about unfulfilled agreements in the end, but only about our common achievements, in each of the areas of these 11 agreements that I mentioned earlier,” Kurti said.