Brdo-Brijuni Process Summit Participants Stress Importance of Neighborly Relations, Reconciliation, Stability

EU-Western Balkans Summit (BETAPHOTO/KATARINA SREMCEVIC)

Participants in a summit of the Brdo-Brijuni initiative adopted a joint statement in Durres on Oct. 6 stressing that neighborly relations, regional stability and reconciliation were the foundations of the European future of the Western Balkans.

The summit participants also pointed out the importance of facing contemporary security challenges, cyber threats and the consequences of climate change together, the Slovenian wire service STA reported.

This year's Brdo-Brijuni Process summit was held under the motto, Shared Interests, Shared Commitment to a Shared Future: Together toward the EU, with the European outlook of the region as the main subject and a special focus on the Growth Plan for the region.

Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar pledged her country's further support to Western Balkan states in the process of association with the European Union, noting that the process should unfold more quickly, though without lowering any standards.

Pirc Musar stressed that the past had to be discussed along with considering the future. "Without true dialogue, without addressing open issues and without reconciliation -- which is maybe the toughest nut to crack in our region -- there won't be true progress," she said, stressing that countries in the region must carry out reforms.

Albanian President Bajram Begaj said at the summit that the Brdo-Brijuni initiative was a key mechanism in strengthening dialogue, neighborly relations and association with the EU.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic also stressed the importance of the type of dialogue found at the summit. "We won't be adopting big conclusions, we won't be launching new initiatives, we won't be bringing in money -- under this format that is not possible. But we can talk and consider experiences and problems within the EU, of which there truly are many," Milanovic said, announcing that the next summit would be held in Croatia next year.