Serb BiH Presidency member Milorad Dodik expressed his support to a joint Declaration of the European Union and Western Balkans countries, stressing that it is important that the whole Europe and its partners are demonstrating unity at the time of a huge health, economic and social crisis they find themselves in as a consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The holding of a conference regardless of the current situation shows that there is no crisis which can prevent sincere partners from talking about models of their future cooperation,” Dodik said.
The Serb BiH Presidency member thanked the European Union for the aid it provided to all the countries of the Western Balkans in the fight against the coronavirus and for the financial support to the economic recovery after the pandemic, says a press release from the office of the Serb member of the BiH Presidency.
“Given that a majority of countries are facing difficult challenges, which, among other things, include mutually shaken trust, the Serb member of the BiH Presidency is of the opinion that the passage of a Declaration is very important for the unity of the EU, but also expresses moderate disappointment that instead of giving unequivocal support to ‘prospects for membership’ the Declaration gave support to ‘European prospects of the Western Balkans,’ feeling that a joint future which would take into account all similarities and peculiarities of partners is that which one should strive for more strongly,” says the press release.
Dodik has said that citizens of the Western Balkans need a new, strong momentum which will restore faith in a joint European future, noting that citizens feel that after the introduction of a visa-free regime, which was granted to all the countries of the Western Balkans, there were no steps with similar strength.
The Serb member of the BiH Presidency says that he on several occasions expressed his gratitude publicly to the EU, but also to its member states that helped in the fight against the pandemic to countries that are not members of the EU, whose aid was significant and timely.
The pandemic showed unity of not only European but also the most important Euro-Asian partners and that the crisis can be seen as a chance to strengthen the existing ties through solidarity which was demonstrated by all of them.
The Serb member of the BiH Presidency feels that a broader international coalition should be created and global partnership reinforced to improve cyber safety, and the basis for this platform is the involvement of all relevant partners.
The Serb member of the BiH Presidency says that the countries of the Western Balkans gave significant contribution to peace keeping operations and EU missions, but that “the full inclusion” of the Western Balkans in the foreign political positions of the EU should be a two-way process which, among other things, means respect for positions of the Western Balkans countries on certain issues.
“The Serb member of the Presidency concludes that we learned from the crisis that there are no ‘small’ or ‘big’, ‘underdeveloped,’ ‘members’ or non-members, but that there exists one Europe, the one which has the same problems and the same solutions, and that there are friends who are here to help those who are most vulnerable and that this must never be forgotten,” says the press release.
Source: SRNA
