“I have no doubt that Croatia would become the 29th member of the European Union and other countries should follow the same path. We will support them and evaluate each of them individually”, said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle today at the Berlin Conference of Southeast Europe’s Foreign Ministers organized by himself, Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi and the Aspen Institute.
As Westerwelle pointed out in his address, the key element in EU accession is the fight against corruption and organized crime, while bilateral issues should be resolved prior to entry. “If it was possible to unite the two Germanies, then anything is possible, including peace in the Balkans”, he said, adding that Germany supported the efforts of Lady Ashton in the normalization of the relations between Serbia and Kosovo. “Your countries have a clear prospect, and that is the EU membership, and we are going to support it. You belong in Europe and will one day be members of the EU. This is not just the opinion of the German government but of the parliament as well. This is a clear message and I want you to understand it as such”, Westerwelle emphasized, adding that that was not a case of altruism, but an egotistical goal, as united countries are stronger.
Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi said that Europe was a successful continent, with a large number of countries that want to join the EU. “Germany and Hungary continue to support countries of the Western Balkans – their future lies in the EU”, the minister concluded.
Minister Pusić participated in the “Quo Vadis Western Balkans?” panel, where she said the Balkans was usually perceived as an area in constant danger of conflict, with which she did not agree. Politically, the greatest danger are those countries that grow more and more dysfunctional with time. Therefore, said the minister, it is important to discuss the mechanisms of preventing this from happening, and those are NATO and EU membership. The membership as such is secondary, Pusić said, while the primary goal is what it brings in terms of stability and institution building. “It is important that there be a practical, not declarative political consensus”, Pusić pointed out.
Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdžija said the Euro-Atlantic integration was his country’s main goal, as it meant a better organized country. “We are heading undoubtedly in the right direction – sometimes not fast enough, but in the right direction nevertheless”, commented Lagumdžija.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker said Europe was very important to the United States, as evidenced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Southeast Europe ahead of the US presidential election.
Also attending the Berlin conference were foreign ministers Enver Hoxaj of Kosovo, Nebojša Kaluđerović of Montenegro, Edmond Panariti of Albania and Nikola Poposki of Macedonia, Serbian Assistant Foreign Minister Zoran Vujić, and Ambassador Mehmet Gücük of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.