TIRANA, June 25 /ATA/ – Cyprus reiterated its support for Albania’s bid to join the European Union during a visit by Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha to Nicosia on Thursday.
The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ferit Hoxha met Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, with talks focusing on Albania’s EU accession process, bilateral relations and regional developments.
Foreign Minister thanked Cyprus for what he described as its consistent support for EU enlargement and for Albania’s membership aspirations.
“I expressed our sincere gratitude for Cyprus’s steadfast support for Albania’s EU accession process, particularly in relation to the successful completion of the IBAR, a landmark achievement and a decisive milestone on Albania’s EU path,” Hoxha said in a post on social media after the meetings.
“EU membership, through a fair, credible, and merit-based negotiation process, is our foremost strategic objective and the strongest catalyst for democratic consolidation, institutional transformation, economic modernization, and sustainable development,” Hoxha added.
The two sides also discussed ways to strengthen economic ties, including trade, investment, tourism and education, and welcomed plans to launch a direct air link between Tirana and Nicosia.
“We reaffirmed the excellent state of relations between our two countries and our shared ambition to further strengthen this partnership and expand cooperation across a broad range of areas. While our political dialogue is already strong and constructive, we agreed to explore practical avenues for enhancing economic and business ties, including trade, investment, tourism, education, and other sectors of mutual interest that can bring tangible benefits to our peoples and economies,” Hoxha said.
During a joint press conference with Kombos, Hoxha said the new route would help boost tourism, business contacts and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Hoxha also renewed Albania’s call for European countries that have not yet recognised Kosovo to do so, arguing that wider recognition would contribute to regional security and stability.
The visit coincided with the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Albania and Cyprus.
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