Prime Minister Zoran Zaev took part Monday in the Regional Youth Leadership Forum, organized online by the Novi Sad office of the European Movement in Serbia. It is dedicated to regional economic cooperation with an emphasis on solutions to connect the countries amid a pandemic.
Speaking alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, PM Zaev said that the coronavirus pandemic had demonstrated more than ever before that everything in the region was connected, including infrastructure, economy, environmental systems, even political systems, the government said in a press release.
“In times of crisis, our countries are constantly in contact sharing information. Coordinated responses to the greatest challenges we are facing have proven beneficial, too. Existing cooperation has been strengthened, we’ve demonstrated solidarity and decision-making capacity. Young people have to be part of these processes. We need their creativity, we need their energy and capacity to perceive obstacles as opportunities, because we have high hopes of them managing to conclude all integration processes launched several decades ago,” said Zaev.
Education and increasing the skills of young people are seen as key in further progress, according to him.
“We have been witnessing rising migration and we need to see it as two-day street. We’re creating conditions to motivate those who have left to come back in order to apply their new acquired skills in their own country. Free movement of people is a civilization value that should be constantly nourished,” said the PM.
At the debate, the three Western Balkan leaders presented the joint conclusions of Friday’s trilateral meeting as part of the renewed initiative on regional cooperation.
This year, North Macedonia and Bulgaria serve as co-chairs of the Berlin Process. The summit is due to take place next week.
“Through cooperation, we discuss, improve and rally around the positions of joint interest in the region as part of the Berlin Process, Vučić, Rama and Zaev told the young leaders,” said the press release.
