Emissary Sarrazin calls it a success that the Berlin Process will not remain without a member

Germany's emissary for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, described the meetings in the Balkan region as difficult and sometimes boring. During a discussion in the capital of Germany on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process, Sarrazin described as a success the fact that the initiative will not remain minus one state, referring to Kosovo

Avoiding the exclusion of Kosovo from the Berlin Process was considered a success in a discussion that took place on Wednesday in Berlin, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the German initiative with the six countries of the Western Balkans. 

The Special Envoy of Germany for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, who had several visits to Pristina, in an effort to convince the Government to lift the ban on the import of goods from Serbia, has spoken about the difficulties in this commitment.

"When the Berlin Process started, it was viewed with skepticism, but it proved that if we work together and react as a team, we can achieve many things. This is the most important part of this. There have been situations with partners from the region and completely different attitudes, which is problematic, sometimes boring", emphasized Sarrazin. 

When he spoke about the agreement reached within CEFTA with all countries, Sarrazin returned to the message he left in Pristina that the Berlin Process can continue without Kosovo if it does not lift the blockade on goods from Serbia. 

"The Berlin process will be a great success, because it made it possible for all the countries of the Western Balkans to move forward with concrete decisions, increase cooperation and be included in the common market. Today we had the agreement of decisions within CEFTA by seven countries, that is, plus Moldova, but not minus one. Everyone is on board now. So we have the agreements with the CEFTA countries, plus Moldova, not minus one. This is a great success for the Summit, which is related to the political will of the leaders of the region, where after all those troubles that were very visible, we will move forward together", declared Sarrazin. 

Kosovo lifted the security measure against Serbian goods on Tuesday.

And the General Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Europe of Albania, Armand Skapi, said that despite all the problems and political tensions, the Berlin Process remains the platform for overcoming them. 

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"Before 10 years, it was unimaginable that all six countries of the Balkans would sit at one table. I especially remember the meetings we had with the representatives from Serbia and Kosovo to sit in one place, as part of the efforts we made in Tirana. Now they are all together, equal at one table. But there are still political problems and tensions, which is why the Berlin Process remains important for maintaining cooperation and promoting reconciliation, in order to accelerate the path to EU integration", Skapi emphasized. 

October 14 will mark the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process, which was initiated by Angela Merkel, the German chancellor at that time. 

Agreements within CEFTA are approved by the Joint Committee in Berlin in the form of Decisions, Additional Protocols or Recommendations. Currently, ten such agreements are awaiting approval in various areas such as: trade, recognition of economic operators as well as the resolution of commercial disputes.