TIRANA, July 23 – The President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovksi, paid a working visit to Pustec at the invitation of the President of Albania, Bajram Begaj on Sunday.
In addition to meetings with representatives of the Macedonian national minority in the area, the two presidents visited the “Sterjo Spasse” House Museum in Gollomboç. Begaj spoke about the role of Albanians in the stability of North Macedonia.
The presidents also had a bilateral meeting focused on the very good relations between the two countries. At the end of the meeting, President Begaj said in a statement to the media that “it was not without purpose that we chose the Municipality of Pustec to show that the relations between our two countries are the relations of two friendly countries, of two NATO partner countries, countries that have a common journey for membership in the European Union.”
According to him, the Albanians in North Macedonia and the Macedonian minority in the Municipality of Pustec are important in the relationship between the two countries. Albanians in North Macedonia are very well integrated, have contributed to the formation of the North Macedonian state, and are undoubtedly active in political and economic life.
Asked about the Open Balkans initiative, President Begaj said: “Undoubtedly, like any other regional initiative, they are good. Political executive decision-makers think about continuing an initiative or not.”
In the meantime Pendarovksi, answering on the same question, said that the Open Balkans was a regional cooperation between the Balkan states from the beginning. “There are over 50 cooperation initiatives, and the Open Balkans was one of them. It is indisputable for the 6 countries that are part of the Open Balkans that the umbrella for all initiatives is the Berlin Process, which has more precise structural relations than the Open Balkans,” Pendarovksi said. /argumentum.al
