TIRANA, Jan 22 /ATA/ The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani, participated in the 17th meeting of the EU-Albania Stabilization-Association Parliamentary Committee.
Minister Hasani appreciated the institutional support that the European Parliament has given to Albania over the years, on the pathway to European integration, noting that the latest report of the European Parliament on Albania, approved by an overwhelming majority of the plenary session, is a testimony to this support.
In his remarks, the Albanian chief diplomat touched on recent developments regarding the impact of Russian aggression against Ukraine on security in Europe and, of course, the situation in the Western Balkans region, which, as he emphasized, remains very worrying.
The only response to these challenges, Minister Hasani added, is the strengthening of strategic cooperation between the countries of the region and the EU across all dimensions, especially in matters of foreign policy, strengthening the rule of law, as well as in matters of economic development.
Minister Hasani appreciated the fact that the EU has increased its focus on geopolitics and the element of security, especially after the decisions that have reinforced the European perspective of the countries of the Eastern Partnership, but on the other hand expressed regret that the Council of December 2023 failed to come up to Albania’s expectations to take the most important step forward in the accession process, the start of negotiations for the cluster of “fundamentals.”
He underlined the fact that the geopolitical realities in the Western Balkan Region have brought the need for bold decision-making, unaffected by efforts to politicize the process for close interests. We need, he added, approaches that help develop a more reliable and predictable membership process, which serves to maintain the momentum of reforms, strengthen citizen support for the process, but also to conclude a process that has been going on for almost two decades at an optimal time.
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