Merkel Hails Progress in Balkan Cooperation

Following the summit of Western Balkan leaders in Berlin, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, said that all the countries of the region have a future in the EU and are striving towards EU membership.

“The fact that all eight prime ministers, foreign ministers and ministers of economy sat down together is proof that great progress in the region has been made in recent years, and the European Commission and EU members wish to continue their assistance,” she stated.

Regional leaders left Berlin saying they also felt reassured that both Berlin and Brussels are willing to increase their engagement in the region.

“There is a clear will in Germany and in the European Commission to increase their influence and get engaged in solving the different problems that the countries from the region face,” Nikola Gruevski, Macedonia's Prime Minister, stated.

Ivo Viskovic, a former Serbian ambassador to Berlin, described the conference as an attempt to reinforce stability in the Balkan region, as the EU faces the continuing crisis on its border in Ukraine.

“They certainly do not want other things anywhere in Europe, especially in a sensitive region such as the Western Balkans, to get out of hand,” Viskovic told Serbia's public broadcaster, RTS.

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Prime Minister, said he and Merkel had discussed Serbia's neutral standpoint on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which has been criticised. Serbia has refused to echo EU sanctions imposed on Moscow for its role in the Ukraine conflict, while declaring that it respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Vucic stated that there was “partial understanding” in Berlin and Brussels for Serbia's neutral position on the issue, but that Serbia faced no...

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