SKOPJE, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- North Macedonia and Serbia inaugurated on Monday the opening of a joint border office at the Tabanovce-Preshevo border crossing under the One-Stop-Shop project, in northern part of the country.
The ceremony was attended by North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Serbian counterpart Ana Brnabic.
"We are meeting yet another task of the project for the integration of North Macedonia and Serbia at a regional and European level," Zaev said.
"The joint Tabanovce-Preshevo border crossing will offer joint management of border and customs with only one shop and this project will significantly contribute to the development of economic cooperation of the Western Balkans' region defined at the 2017 Trieste Summit," Zaev noted.
During 2018, about 200,000 trucks crossed the border, one fourth of the total turnover of cargo vehicles. This number is expected to increase by 30 percent in 2019, up to 260, 000 trucks, according to Zaev.
In her speech, Brnabic said that North Macedonia and Serbia are the first countries in this part of Europe to establish a joint border management.
"The single-window border crossing enables quick flow of cargo vehicles, sending a signal that should motivate trade and trade exchanges," Brnabic added.
According to the Serbian PM, this day paves the way for a new start for economic, trade and regional cooperation not only for the two countries, but also for the Western Balkans.
