TIRANA, October 2/ATA/ The foreign ministers of the Western Balkans gathered in Berlin have approved a joint statement where they ask the member states of the European Union to speed up the membership process.
Albania was represented in this meeting by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani.
The German chief diplomat Annalena Baerbock emphasized that it is high time that the enlargement process should be carried out as soon as possible.
“More than 20 years have passed since the EU promised in Thessaloniki the membership of the Western Balkan countries. We have to admit that this promise has not been fulfilled so I can understand why many people are disappointed by this. We now have a historic chance to renew the promise that has been made, by taking concrete action. The membership of the Western Balkan states in the EU is a geopolitical necessity. We do not see your countries as “grey areas, but as partners, as European friends. We want you to join the EU as soon as possible”, she said.
The meeting of the chief diplomats of the Western Balkans precedes the meeting of the leaders of this region that will take place within the framework of the Berlin Process under the chair of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. At the leaders’ meeting, Albania will be represented by Prime Minister Edi Rama. /a.f/p.s./
