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| The leaders of some of the Balkan countries during the Open Balkans summit in Belgrade, August 2022. |
In August 2022, leaders from several Balkan countries gathered for the Balkan Open Summit in Belgrade. The summit aimed to address regional cooperation and initiatives, particularly focusing on the Balkan Open initiative, formerly known as Mini Schengen.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, a key participant in the summit, clarified on Saturday that he had never declared the closure of the Balkan Open initiative. Rama emphasized that his previous statements had been misunderstood and misinterpreted.
Speaking at a year-end press conference in Tirana, Rama stated, "Today, I understand that I have been perceived as closing the Balkan Open initiative, which is not the case because I cannot single-handedly open or close the Balkans with a key."
Journalists questioned Rama about his July statement, where he referred to the Balkan Open as an initiative to "push forward the Berlin Process and fulfill its mission." Responding to the inquiry, Rama explained, "I have never said that I closed the Balkan Open because it's laughable. I have said something completely different within a specific context, emphasizing that the initiative has completed its mission in that context. However, the initiative itself is like any other initiative; it neither opens nor closes based on my actions."
The Balkan Open initiative, initiated on October 10, 2019, in Novi Sad, was signed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, and the then-Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev. The initiative has faced opposition in Albania's political landscape and has been rejected by Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Despite the controversies, the initiative has led to several agreements, fostering economic cooperation and free movement within the participating countries.
In response to Rama's announcement of its potential closure, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić expressed disbelief, stating, "I cannot believe that he [Rama] said such a thing."
Rama confirmed that the regional initiative is ongoing and pointed to recent events, such as a wine fair held in Belgrade, as a tangible outcome of the Balkan Open initiative. "The initiative continues, and to be very clear, Albania has not closed it because one party cannot close it," clarified Rama.