TIRANA, March 19/ATA/ The Ambassadors of the Permanent Missions of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, as well as Deputy Head of Mission of the United States of America to the OSCE in Vienna visited the Republic of Albania on March 18-19, as part of a regional tour in Western Balkans, the OSCE Presence in Albania reported today.
The delegation was composed by Ambassador Fatène Benhabyles-Foeth (France), Ambassador Susanne Schütz (Germany), Ambassador Stefano Baldi (Italy), Ambassador Neil Holland (United Kingdom) and Katherine Brucker (USA).
During the visit to Albania, the ambassadors held meetings with President of the Republic Bajram Begaj, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani and Speaker of the Assembly Lindita Nikolla.
During the meetings, the interlocutors had the opportunity to discuss the latest developments at the national and regional level, with a special focus on OSCE support for the reform program in Albania, including the path to membership in the European Union.
They spoke about the electoral reform and the important contribution of the OSCE/ODIHR.
The ambassadors appreciated the commitment of the Albanian authorities to address the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR for the electoral reform and emphasized the importance of fulfilling and implementing them before next year’s Parliamentary elections, also with the support of the OSCE Presence in Albania.
The interlocutors also shared their concerns about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its far-reaching consequences for security and prosperity in Europe and, in particular, in the Western Balkans. The ambassadors positively assessed Albania’s strong and principled support for Ukraine in the OSCE and other international forums, which was also highlighted during the recent Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit./r.e/p.s./
