North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told N1 on Tuesday that he believes that the Balkans is no longer a time bomb, adding that solutions to existing problems will be found through dialogue.

Speaking live on the Pressing talk show, Zaev said that he does not think a union of Kosovo and Albania is a good thing. He said he is sure that the union that some politicians are calling for is not the future that the people of Kosovo and Albania want, nor do others in the region because their future is in the European Union.

“A Europe without borders in which people cooperate and communicate and I am convinced that these are ideas from individuals who are in the minority and don’t have a future,” he said and added that the future lies in promoting cooperation. “If we cooperate regionally western and northern Europe will respect us more,” he said.

“Solutions are not easily found. I have gone through several difficult processes,” he said and recalled agreements with Bulgaria and Greece which included the change of the country’s constitutional name. “Serbia and Kosovo and other countries face their own challenges but definitely solutions can be found through dialogue, diplomacy and friendship,” he added.

He said that Skoplje is building excellent relations with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and promoting all possibilities for cooperation between Serbs, Albanians, Macedonians. “I sincerely hope that the potential Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti will join in the talks that benefit everyone,” Zaev said.

He said the mini-Schengen initiative will bring benefits for everyone, adding that there are significant developments in that regard such as the one-stop-shop on the border of North Macedonia and Serbia.