“Dubrovnik is only 270 km away from Tirana. But, it took me 6 hours to reach Tirana. Often, I go to Vienna and then take a flight to Tirana. I think, we should work on direct connections. We could meet more often if we were better connected,” he said during a joint press conference with FM Ferit Hoxha in Tirana.

The Croatian minister said that both countries will pay more attention to cooperation in the field of protection and preservation of the Adriatic Sea. He also emphasized Croatia’s support for development of the Adriatic-Ionian Corridor and energy projects, including the Adriatic-Ionian gas pipeline, which as he put it, will strengthen regional connectivity, energy security and economic development.

During the talks between the two ministers, there was also discussed on cooperation in the field of security and defense, including the trilateral partnership between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo, as well as police cooperation, migration management and border protection. /p.s./

In the presence of high-level representatives from the region, Europe and beyond, including the US, the Gulf states, Brazil and Africa, Minister Hasani stressed that in times of uncertainty and geopolitical rivalries, trust, transparency and transformation are not choices, they are necessities.

“Albania is not a consumer of security; it is a contributor. We are not waiting, we are moving forward”, stressed Hasani.

Minister Hasani underlined that Albania has opened four clusters in the EU accession process, including the fundamental cluster and the internal market, and that the path towards the EU is strategic, irreversible and based on sustainable reforms.

He warned that delays in the enlargement process create gaps that are exploited by authoritarian actors, welcoming the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans as a concrete opportunity to accelerate integration.

“Europe will not be complete without the Western Balkans. And the Western Balkans will not be complete without a worthy place in the European family,” said Minister Hasani. /e.i//r.e/p.s./

The two-day conference kicked off with a round-table meeting with the IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, with participation of the CESEE finance ministers and the central bank governors.

At the meeting, Sejko outlined Albania’s main macroeconomic indicators, underlining that the Albanian economy has pursued a very positive development trend.

“Albanian economy expanded 4% in 2024, with the unemployment rate hitting record low coupled with raped wage hike in the country’s private sector. The inflation rate fell 2.2% from 4.8% in 2023. Bank lending to economy rose 16.7%,” Sejko said, underlining that “economic growth was mainly supported by significant increase in tourism revenue, with the sector expected to be the main engine of the country’s economic growth.”

Central bank governor also noted that Albania’s economic integration is already underway with its membership with the European payment system, which will provide for the country’s integration into a broader European market and generate benefits to real economy.

“Participation in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) payment schemes is laying solid foundations to provide for accelerated economic exchanges with the countries in the region and the EU member states,” Sejko said.

On her part, IMF Managing Director Georgieva lauded Albania’s performance in the macroeconomic framework, highlighting the country’s progress in key areas, like institutional reform and improving the business climate. She affirmed IMF continued support and technical assistance, underlining the importance of this assistance to ensure the success of the ongoing planned reforms and the European integration process.

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