TIRANA, April 3 /ATA/ At the invitation of her Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhaçka participated in the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Western Balkan countries, organized in Rome by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy.
During her speech, Minister Xhaçka said that the war in Ukraine seems to have made the EU aware of the fact that the security and stability of the bloc is inseparably linked to the security and stability of the Western Balkans.
The EU is showing a more strategic approach to the region and there is no doubt that the credibility of the European perspective is a key factor in guaranteeing the security and stability of the Western Balkans and the EU itself, she said.
Minister Xhaçka also underlined the new spirit of regional cooperation and the great opportunities for economic cooperation and strategic investments sector that exist today in the region, especially in the energy, where Italy can undoubtedly play an important and welcome role.
She thanked Deputy Prime Minister Tajani for his commitment to Albania and the region and expressed Albania’s appreciation for the important role that Italy plays in the developments in the region.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, the Foreign Ministers of Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sweden, Tobias Billström, the country that holds the routine Presidency of the Council, also participated in the meeting. The meeting addressed issues of cooperation between the countries of the region, but also with the European Union, especially in the context of current geopolitical developments in Europe and the world.
The focus was on issues related to energy, cyber security, foreign and defense policy, migration, as well as the European integration process of the countries of the region. /gj.m/r.e/p.s./
