Resolving bilateral issues is crucial to entering the EU, says Foreign Minister of Austria Sebastian Kurz.
Speaking at a conference of experts on the Western Balkans, organized by Austria’s Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs in Vienna, Kurz said that Austria supported the countries of the region on their EU path as that was in Austria’s interest as well.
We cannot afford to let open issues continue to slow down the (European integration) process and destabilize the region, said Kurz.
The signing of a joint document by all the six countries of the Western Balkans and of two border agreements on the sidelines of the last Western Balkans Summit in August of last year is proof it is possible to make palpable progress in these areas. A stable neighborhood also helps us overcome other challenges, such as the migrant crisis, Kurz said.
The two day conference in Vienna saw answers offered to certain important issues, such as how to ensure there is political will to implement sustainable solutions to problems, how to find instruments to resolving bilateral disputes and ways to measure and compare progress in critical areas.
The summit was closed with a discussion led by Kurtz and his Albanian counterpart Ditmir Bushati.
Source: Tanjug
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