EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi has said the Open Balkan initiative is a good opportunity for the Western Balkans to accelerate its path to EU integration. During the Ohrid summit in Northern Macedonia, Varhelyi said that the Open Balkan should continue, especially in the current circumstances, after the Russian aggression in Ukraine. "The Open Balkan must continue and I am glad that today we see the agreements being signed. We also see the results that the preliminary agreements proved by making people's lives easier. This is very important because of the situation we are in, with the war in Ukraine. Now more than ever we have to work together and help each other," he said. US Representative for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar also offered his support to the Open Balkan, but said it should include the six countries in the region at the same level.