Cooperation, respect of the sovereignty, integrity of each country, instead of meddling into the internal affairs of the neighbors is the only way for the region to make political, economic progress, Macedonia's Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev told the Western Balkans summit on Thursday.

Realization of joint projects of the Western Balkan countries, which bring benefit to citizens, 'are vital for ensuring good political climate in the region', Dimitriev said.

'We are witnesses of growing tensions across the globe, but also in the Western Balkan region. The developments in our countries have direct impact on the EU and therefore they should become its high strategic priority. The deadlocked EU integration process fuels instability in the region, as it is still the strongest cohesive force for the Western Balkan countries,' Dimitriev said.

The EU should consider Macedonia and other Western Balkan as its partners in dealing with challenges, Dimitriev said, notifying in this respect the refugee/migrant crisis.

In regard to the economy, Dimitriev notified the need of an infrastructure agenda as an instrument for creating jobs and business opportunities.

The meeting in Sarajevo, which brought together the Heads of Government of Bosnia/Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania, focused on transport and energy infrastructure projects, as well as cooperation in the fields of youth and education.

European Commissioner Johannes Hahn and Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, in the capacity of host of the July meeting within the Berlin Process in Trieste, also took part at the event.