President of the Assembly, Ilir Meta, attend regional conference on “Regional integration of the Western Balkans”

Mr. Meta: Should a more concrete cooperation in several strategic axes, which turn into a necessity regional cooperation to benefit not only the more peace and stability, but also to produce as much wealth and prosperity
Mr. Meta: Our challenge is how regional cooperation to make it a strong impetus to economic development and social progress throughout the region.
Mr. Meta: economy in the world before it is global, it is still regional.
Mr. Meta: economic underdevelopment will turn back region will increase frustimin, will awaken ethnic problems, will lead us to the inevitable conflicts.
Mr. Meta: There is no solution to any nation, except that everyone respect the boundaries and respect all minorities compared to the same standards, European standards.
Mr. Meta: Region will be competitive only if harmonized business practices between our countries in order to create a market capable of attracting strategic investments.
Mr. Meta: If every country will try to create obstacles to free trade, will see the current narrow interests of a particular group or country and of itself, will undermine the credibility of the market as a regional market
Mr. Meta: It’s time to produce more cooperation in order to gain time lost for many generations and for the region, and above all to win the future of our children.
President of the Assembly, Mr. Ilir Meta attended the Regional Conference on “Regional integration of the Western Balkans, a driving force for economic growth and stability.”

In his welcoming speech to the participants, Mr. Ilir Meta said that the challenge of the Balkan countries is how this regional cooperation to turn in a strong impetus to economic development and social progress throughout the region.

Speaker of Parliament stressed that the world economy today before it is global, it is still regional, and added that the creation of a more effective cooperation and a more conscious concept in all our countries to strengthen regional economic dimension as a whole, will help to strengthen and economic dimension and perspective of each of the countries.

Assembly President said that our responsibility is to our children in the first place, for generations who want to live better and in peace indisputable, as is certain that economic underdevelopment will turn back region will increase frustimin, will awaken ethnic problems, will inevitably lead to conflicts.

Mr. Meta said narrow interests often lead to conflicts not transparent creation, which can then turn into clashes between different countries or different governments.

Speaker of Parliament stressed that if any country would try to create obstacles to free trade, will see the current narrow interests of a particular group or country and of itself, will create a climate of distrust and undermine credibility this market as a regional market and want to come join the many other actors.

Mr. Meta said that history has taught us that the Balkans produce more conflict than consuming, and stressed that it is time to produce more cooperation in order to gain time lost for many generations and for the region, and above all to win the children’s future.

Speech by President of the Assembly, Mr. Ilir Meta:

I want to thank Ambassador Nesho, because I always call it so, for the invitation. I want to express my pleasure to be here in this environment with very significant honored former President, Prof. Recep Meidani with distinguished representatives of Parliament, the majority and the opposition, the Foreign Ministry and institutions, with many ambassadors, representatives of the European Union, Germany, but other countries and other partner organizations and with many distinguished representatives of civil society.

I would not want to keep any long words, is because this is a topic often beaten during all these years and what should, and I believe that came out clearly from the Berlin Conference is that now need a more concrete cooperation in several strategic axes, which turn into a necessity regional cooperation to benefit not only the more peace and stability, but also to produce as much wealth and prosperity for all citizens of our region, regardless of ethnicity.

No need to turn its back 100 to understand the importance of stability, because we all know what happened 100 years ago in the Balkans, but also in the entire continent. No need to go back even 15 or 17 years back to understand how important and necessary it is peace and stability but also no need to turn or three weeks back to see how a football game can have a comeback the rhetoric that belong to the past. Which means that in such a long time in the Balkans is doing enough to stability, peace, integration and enough to recognize that some countries are now candidates including Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro. Undoubtedly, the Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo have their place in the European Union and it is clearly defined to avoid talking to Croatia, which is the newest member of the region into the European Union and a hope, that this process continue and other countries.

But it is necessary to understand that simply do not need political stability in the Balkans, simply to avoid the fight. This will now be a minimum requirement for all our countries, for our societies, for our people, for our citizens and of course for political elites of these countries intellectual social and across the region. Now think our challenge is how this regional cooperation to make it a powerful impetus to economic development and social progress throughout the region.

We live in a globalization process, but firstly I would like to emphasize that the world economy today before it is global, it is still regional. And in this respect the creation of a more effective cooperation and a more conscious concept in all our countries to strengthen the economic dimension of the region as a whole, will help us fuqizonim the economic dimension and perspective of each of our countries . So not see things in a plan to close the short-term interests, but in the long term, in order for the region to be able to create not only greater reliability, so this is a safe area, where peace and stability are not going back, but also through a more active cooperation, more concrete and pragmatic to have the opportunity to create the belief that in this region not only safety is unquestionable, but in this region can be done without jeopardizing the business. Here I mean the big investors, who each tone rather see as a very limited market to invest, while emphasizing that the economy is primarily regional and other regions much larger, much more attractive, much more attractive for investment, foreign capital inflows in other countries of the world.

We need this understanding and solidarity so that we can benefit the most out of our countries and our citizens, because if we continue to deal with the past history will show that we are unable to learn from what has happened 100 years ago and what happened 15 years ago or from those emotions that erupted a few weeks ago at a football match where politics was tempered and more that players and fans. I say this because our responsibility is to our children in the first place, is for the generations who want to live better and in peace indisputable, as is certain that economic underdevelopment will turn back region will increase frustimin will awaken ethnic problems, will lead us to the inevitable conflicts. So both of these are quite related to each other because of the history issue and on the issue of borders and the issue of space that could belong to one nation or another nation, I think this is an issue resolved in the Balkans is solved for every nation in the Balkans is in a state somewhere wholesale and retail somewhere.

And there is no solution to any nation except that everyone respect the boundaries and respect all minorities compared to the same standards, European standards. Only this one has solved and eventually solve the problem of the future of this region. To emphasize that regional cooperation should now utilized not only to guarantee a minimum stage of political stability in the sense of avoiding conflict and endangering the peace, but in later stages of development and more advanced economic region. Free trade agreement CEFTA, was clearly just an instrument which is insufficient if not promoted to a regional investment agenda, which was shown in the Berlin Conference a few months ago. In this regard, I would underline the importance of the European Union’s financial instrument for the promotion of these investments, which I hope to be even more effective in the future and of course remains important to develop those corridors that create a more stable basis for development faster across the region and the flow of goods, people, capital. Especially in our case will emphasize the importance of advancing namely Corridor Corridor 8 or “Blue”. I want to express my satisfaction with the progress developed in recent years in connection with inter-conjunction lines, as we have it between Albania and Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo or presently and in the future hopefully between Albania and Macedonia.

Are useful, not just for our country but are beneficial to the entire region and especially like to thank the KfW for the extraordinary assistance provided in support of regional programs for energy in particular, as progress towards the realization of TAP or IAP, which will give another dimension of regional cooperation, but will enable new economic development in our countries. In the field of tourism, absolutely in this regard remains much to do, to go towards the provision of a regional tourist package, as well as in the field of industrial and regional parks, thinking more in the future. This region will be competitive only if harmonize business practices between our countries in order to create a market of over 20 million customers, able to attract strategic investments. Narrow interests often lead to conflicts not transparent creation, which can then turn into clashes between different countries or different governments. Here I mean for example some cases we’ve had, not with any other country in the region, but with a country that we have very close, such as Kosovo.

We had history of cement, has now emerged Flour history. There are stories of interest, lobbying groups in Kosovo or Albania. These issues can be resolved only through transparent policies, through discussions, through the establishment of standards which must be respected and implemented by all countries. And of course standards, while all countries are on a clear path to European integration and membership in the European Union aimed at, are just those. But of course if such a debate would be open to another country such as Macedonia or Montenegro or Serbia, would take other dimensions and the debate will politizohej when in fact there are political interests, but interests certain economic groups which are intended to benefit or harm their rivals in the market by using policy and decision making.

How avoid it? Only through transparency and only by establishing common standards, because if any country would try to create obstacles to free trade, will see the current narrow interests of a particular group or country and of itself, will create a climate of distrust and undermine the credibility of the market as a regional market and want to come join the many other actors other dimensions.

I believe that history has taught us that the Balkans produce more conflict than consuming. Now is the moment to produce more cooperation in order to gain time lost for many generations and for the region, and above all to win the future of our children. This is more important than ever to refer to the past. For the past should let historians. What we should do is to acquire the common European future. We have the great good fortune to all countries and all our citizens aimed at membership in the European Union, not as an end in itself but as an instrument to guarantee the peace, and prosperity for our citizens, for our societies. Then let us work specifically in this regard. Thank you for your attention!