In a summit held on December 20-21, hosted by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in the Albanian capital Tirana with his counterpart from North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a raft of deals were signed that will lead the way to further links between the countries. Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia launched the Open Balkan initiative in October 2019 to promote ties with the aim to establish a single market to pave the way for EU membership.
“Our goal is that the Balkans have no more borders for people, for the movement of goods, capital, and services — four European Union principles,” Albania’s prime minister said.
This is good news for ASILA, the association registered with the Albanian Judiciary whose aim is to support Iranians living in Albania. ASILA not only helps defectors from the Rajavi cult with their rights and living arrangements, it also hopes to reunite families estranged by the MEK’s anti-family policy. In a video link with some of these families gathered in Tehran, the head of ASILA, Hassan Heyrani, explained that the Open Balkan initiative would open the way to facilitate these visits.
“The good news is that the president of Albania Edi Rama and the president of Kosovo signed an agreement, the day before yesterday, based on which the border between the two countries will be opened.” Hassan Heyrani told families of MEK members in an online meeting.
“Therefore, families will be able to take a flight from Iran to Belgrade, Serbia and from there they could come to Krishna which is 250 kilometers from Tirana so we can go there to visit them.”
Heyrani added that the ASILA Association also has the power to establish a travel agency in order to provide visitor visas for the Iranian families willing to visit their loved ones in Albania.
summit held on December 20-21, hosted by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in the Albanian capital Tirana with his counterpart from North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev
Sources:
1- Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia Deepen Ties At ‘Open Balkan’ Summit
Radio Free Europe
TIRANA — Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia have signed a raft of deals and agreed to further their Open Balkan initiative to promote ties as the three countries’ leaders held two days of talks in Tirana.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama hosted the December 20-21 summit in the Albanian capital with his counterpart from North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
The sides inked six agreements on the labor market, electronic identification, and the lifting of nontariff barriers for businesses, among other things.
They had previously decided to abolish customs controls from January 1, 2023.
Rama said the Open Balkan initiative’s goal is to establish a single market among its members and pave the way for EU membership.
“Our goal is that the Balkans have no more borders for people, for the movement of goods, capital, and services — four European Union principles,” Albania’s prime minister said.
The Open Balkan initiative, launched in October 2019, “is one of the biggest ideas in today’s Europe,” according to Vucic.
“The most important goal is to unite people who have been focusing more on the past rather than the future. It is important to connect people and their businesses,” the Serbian leader said.
According to Zaev, “Open Balkan is our way forward on the road to the European Union.”
The three Western Balkan countries are at different stages on the path to EU membership.
While Serbia has launched full membership negotiations, accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania have been delayed.
“We agreed that our three countries would not be held hostage to the failure of the European Union to unblock our European integration process,” Zaev said. “That process can be stopped in Brussels, but the Europeanization and implementation of European values in Northern Macedonia, Serbia, and Albania have no reason to be on hold.”
Officials of the three other Western Balkan countries seeking to join the EU — Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro — have expressed skepticism toward the Open Balkan initiative and rejected calls to join.
Vucic’s arrival in Tirana on December 20 triggered a protest by thousands of Albanians opposed to his visit and the summit.
The rally was called by former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who said the Open Balkan initiative was meant to “establish Serbian hegemony in the region.”
The next Open Balkan summit is scheduled for February in North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje.
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2- ASILA: the way will be open for families of MEK hostages
Nejat Society
The head of the Association for the Support of the Iranians Living in Albania (ASILA) spoke of the new options that are opening for the families of MEK members who are looking forward to visiting their loved ones in the group’s camp in Albania.
The newly established ASILA has the duty to support the Iranians who defects the Cult of Rajavi and the families of those who are still taken as hostages in the group’s camp Ashraf 3, in the region of Durres in North of Tirana, Albania.
In an online meeting between Hassan Heyrani, the head of ASILA, in Tirana, and a number of families of MEK members in the office of Nejat Society in Tehran, Heyrani promised to use all capacities of the association to pave the way for the families to travel to Albania.
“I assure you that the way will be opened,” he said. “The cult of Rajavi cannot prevent you from visiting your loved ones in a democratic European country. They have been supported by the US and Israel so far but they have not been able to keep their own children in their cult.”
In response to the heart-broken mother of Mijad Hajalirezai who was weeping tears languishing for her son, Heyrani said, “The Mujahedin cannot keep their members under pressure, mind control and intimidation forever. Half of their members have defected since the early 2000s.”
ASILA has been officially registered in the Albanian Judiciary department and its activities are closely supervised by the Albanian government.