Rama: ‘Open Balkan’ was considered a “terrible idea” simply because Vucic and I were behind it

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the Open Balkan initiative was regarded as “a terrible idea” for only one reason—that it was championed by him and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

“It was a terrible idea for only one reason—that Vucic and I were behind it. If you removed our names and replaced them with, say, five others, it would have been considered a brilliant idea. That’s how everything works in the Balkans,” Rama told Euronews Serbia.

Commenting on his cooperation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Rama said that Vucic “is always a difficult partner.”

The Albanian prime minister also praised Montenegro’s transformation.

“Credit where credit is due—Montenegro has been remarkable in the way it has transformed itself, from being a ship associated with smuggling to becoming the yellow submarine that everyone likes. I take my hat off to them; I respect that. They have made extraordinary progress, but that alone is not enough,” Rama said in the interview, which will be broadcast in full tomorrow.

According to Rama, Europe today needs the Western Balkans just as much as the Western Balkans needs Europe.