TIRANA, Nov 10 /ATA/ – Albania has consistently pursued a peaceful approach and actively promoted regional cooperation in the Western Balkans over the past decade, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Tuesday, describing the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia as an unresolved issue.
Speaking at the Paris Peace Forum, Rama was asked how Albania could contribute to lasting peace in the region amid continued tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.
“I can proudly say that Albania has always been a peace-loving country. Over the past 10 years, we have made active efforts to promote peace and cooperation with all countries in the region,” Rama said.
He stressed the importance of good neighbourly relations.
“There are many things in life you are free to choose, but you cannot choose your cousins or your neighbours. That is a matter of fate. Neighbours stay where they are; they are not going anywhere. So it is better to try to get along with them, otherwise you are asking for trouble. My grandmother used to say: ‘A happy neighbour makes a happy home.’ The opposite can be very challenging,” he said.
Rama said Albania had done everything within its power to encourage regional cooperation, with some degree of success, but described relations between Kosovo and Serbia as a persistent challenge.
“We have tried to do everything we could, with a certain degree of success. But the issue of Serbia and Kosovo remains an open question, as relations between the EU and Serbia also appear to be deteriorating,” he said.
Turning to Kosovo, Rama said its independence was an established reality and that Serbia’s acceptance of it would serve the interests of regional normalisation.
“Meanwhile, Kosovo is an independent state, recognised by many countries, though not yet by all. There is no turning back. There is no way to turn it into another Serbian fantasy,” he said.
“The sooner Serbs understand that they must accept it as a fact of life, the better it will be for them, because they will no longer be haunted by this phantom that is preventing the full normalisation of relations in the region,” Rama said.
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