North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski said that the Open Balkan initiative could not succeed without the participation of all six Western Balkan countries. The next meeting between Tirana, Skopje, and Belgrade will be held in Albania later this month. The Open Balkan Initiative will see Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia create a borderless, free economic zone with various initiatives to ease trade, travel, and residence. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama will meet in Tirana on 20 and 21 December for the next Open Balkan summit. Key agreements on the table include the free movement of goods, people, and a memorandum on work permits.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 16, 2021 23:28 UTC