The United States of America views the Open Balkans initiative as an opportunity for Montenegro and the region in terms of economic integration, said US Special Envoy Gabriel Escobar and reiterated that America will support all initiatives that bring the Western Balkans closer to Europe.
In an interview with the Montenegrin news agency MINA, Escobar said that he supports initiatives that bring the countries of the region closer together and that are open to all of them.
“In other words, as long as the Open Balkans is fully aligned with the Berlin process, we support it and see no reason to oppose it,” said Escobar.
That, he noted, does not mean that the US is less supportive of the Berlin Process or the Common Regional Market.
“As long as they stand for the same things, there is no reason not to support them. And if two, three, four or five countries decide individually to go towards some of those priorities from the Berlin process, why should we stop them if they want to prepare in advance for the EU? That’s fine, but it has to be in line with the Berlin process,” Escobar concluded.