Four Western Balkan countries, but not Serbia, launched on Wednesday the new QUAD Platform for the Western Balkans – 100% Alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign Security Policy (CFSP), aiming to ensure full alignment with the EU acquis in terms of security and foreign policy.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, accompanied by the Albanian Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhaçka, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo, Kreshnik Ahmeti, and the foreign policy advisor to the Montenegrin Prime Minister, Đorđe Radulović, launched the new initiative taking into account recent developments with Ukraine and Russia.
“After the Russian aggression against Ukraine, alignment with the CFSP, but also, beyond, with the positions and values of the democratic world, has become one of the most important priorities of the candidate countries for the CFSP. “accession to the EU, but also a clear message for where these countries belong,” Osmani stressed during the meeting, MIA.mk reported.
The group will focus on EU foreign and security policy, in particular on the energy crisis, the economic consequences caused by war and hybrid threats.
Osmani said he was happy with the creation of the informal QUAD forum, adding that each of the countries involved demonstrated that they were a trusted partner of NATO and the EU, by aligning themselves with the sanctions and providing humanitarian and technical assistance to Ukraine.
Osmani informed his interlocutors about the upcoming reforms, noting that “there is no deviation” from the European path of North Macedonia, “a country known for its democracy and multi-ethnic cohesion, which have also been confirmed by the decision to host the recent conference. negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia in Ohrid.
It was also noted that “the common strategic goal of all countries that have managed to fully comply with EU decisions is full integration into the Union.”
The region is home to another collaborative initiative, Open Balkan, between Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia, which aims to facilitate the free and easy movement of trade and people throughout the region. Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina are not part of the initiative, fearing it will hamper their European ambitions and also due to concerns over Serbia.
There was no announcement or indication as to why Serbia was absent from the initiative. Serbia has so far refused to align with most EU and US sanctions against Russia, drawing sharp criticism from Brussels.
(Alice Taylor | Sortie.al)