Belgrade, 20 December 2021 (MIA) – Prime Ministers of North Macedonia and Albania, Zoran Zaev and Edi Rama respectively, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic have urged the new German government to support the Open Balkan initiative in an op-ed for German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), MIA reports from Belgrade. “We hope the new government in Germany will accept and support the Open Balkan initiative as contribution to the full implementation of the Berlin Process,” say the three leaders in the op-ed cited by Deutsche Welle. They say Europe is not only a continent but a vision, while adding that citizens of the Western Balkans have been excluded and ignored for too long. “Our citizens’ wish to be accepted by EU members has been prevented on several occasions – by the domestic policies of member-states, failure to deliver on promises and fear of the future – leading to disappointment, instability, emigration and lack of big investments. As political leaders of these countries, we can either complain or do something about this. We opted for the latter,” reads the text. The three leaders explain that the Open Balkan initiative has proved to be an effective and useful tool in overcoming the difficult pandemic period. “Although the initiative currently includes Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia, it is open for all countries of the Western Balkans,” say Zaev, Vucic and Rama and urge all neighbors to join. They add that Open Balkan is not a consolation prize instead of EU membership but a huge step towards it, noting that many European heads of state and government and the U.S. administration have already expressed their support for the initiative, as have entrepreneurs, farmers and students from the Western Balkans. “Now the entire EU should join the support to this initiative and encourage our neighbors so that its implementation and necessity turn into reality. It is high time all people in the region joined for a better common future, a future that offers stability, peace, higher standard for all, a future that rises above past disputes and gives hope to our children and countries,” conclude Zaev, Vucic and Rama. Rama is hosting Zaev and Vucic for a two-day Open Balkan summit on December 20-21.