During his speech at the Ohrid Summit, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazovic, stated for “Open Balkans” that “any proposal that leads to progress would have the backing of the Montenegrin government.”
“Dialogue is the first step toward good connections. Dialog leads to a lack of mutual dread and the pursuit of activities that advance the region. Conflict-escalating policies have maintained our current situation. Our mission is to alter this situation. Others cannot do our work for us; we must make the necessary changes ourselves. If Western Balkan politicians publicly criticize one another in Brussels, it will be impossible for them to accept us. To become members of the large European family, we must change our behavior and perspective. Abazovic stated, “We must provide optimistic messages since we are really pessimistic about everything that occurs in our region.”
“If somebody believes he can meet all of his requirements in the twenty-first century, we wish him luck. We in the Western Balkans deserve a positive past, and we must reshape the region by reaching out to one another. This is the only way to alter the future of the Western Balkans,” stated the Montenegrin prime minister.