Leaders of Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia on Facilitating Trade

Edi Rama, Aleksandar Vucic, Nikola Dimitrov, Belgrade, Nov.4 2021. (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC/DS)

The leaders of Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia held on Nov. 10 an online meeting as part of the Open Balkans initiative to define the „problematic points“ preventing a freer trade between the three states, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Dimitrov has announced.

Dimitrov, who is in charge of European affairs in his country, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama had focused on practical ways for overcoming the “problematic points” in export, import and transit of goods, as well as on the steps that should be taken before their next meeting planned for December in Tirana, a Nov. 9 press release of the Macedonian Secretariat for European Affairs reads.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the three countries’ chambers of commerce and the ministries of finance, economy and agriculture, the release added.

Dimitrov, who also represented his country at the initiative’s gathering in Belgrade last week, also said that “in addition to strong will, there are also the established mechanisms that should become operational in order to achieve concrete results.”

“Our challenge in the upcoming period is how to overcome the obstacles for the implementation of agreed measures and activities, which, with joint efforts, is absolutely possible,” Dimitrov said.