Held during the closing session of the “Money in Politics 2026” conference, the signing ceremony represented a major milestone for regional electoral cooperation.

The document carries the joint commitment of the signatory electoral institutions to promote free and fair elections, improve electoral integrity and develop sustainable democracies.

The signatory institutions will cooperate to uphold electoral integrity by tracking political finance, fighting electoral fraud, countering foreign disinformation, and strengthening cyber defenses. They will also focus on digitizing election processes and enhancing the professional skills of electoral staff through shared best practices.

Also, the Memorandum is open to accession by other electoral authorities that share the same values, principles and objectives for the protection of democracy, the strengthening of electoral institutions and promotion of European standards. /m.q/a.f/r.e/p.s./

During the meeting with representatives of the British Council and the British Ambassador to Albania Alastair King-Smith, Minister Kushi highlighted the significance of this agreement to advance joint projects in pre-university education, as well as promote cooperation in the higher education.

“Today, we signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the British Council in the field of education, which, in addition to advancing joint projects in pre-university education, also paves the way for closer cooperation in the field of higher education,” Kushi wrote in a post on social media.

Kushi emphasized that, “The cooperation will focus on training of English language teachers and their inclusion in the Networking Platform of the British Council, the building of capacities for school leaders and primary school teachers, the strengthening of cooperation in the field of internationalization between Albanian and British universities, the organization of joint conferences or workshops, the promotion of the exchange of students and academic staff.

Minister Kushi thanked the representatives of the British Council and the British Ambassador Alastair King-Smith for the valuable contribution to implementation of the “21st Century Schools” project, one of the most successful programs for promoting critical thinking in students and problem-solving skills and from which there have benefited 1,191 schools, 120,000 students and 6,000 teachers. /p.s./

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhaçka received her Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, whose visit precedes the assumption of the Presidency of the EU by Spain in the second half of the year.

At the joint press conference after the meeting, Xhaçka appreciated that this visit is proof of the special attention that Spain is paying to our country and the region.

“This is the first visit of a Spanish Foreign Minister to Albania after many years, which in itself constitutes an important event in the relations between our countries”, said Xhaçka.

The minister emphasized that, “We share the same opinion that enlargement is not simply and should not be simply an instrument of the EU, but is the very essence of the Union, so every European country should aspire to become part of it”.

Xhaçka said that, “We have jointly agreed to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation between our countries with the aim of achieving the best possible coordination of work on European integration issues”.

More specifically, she said that in this memorandum it is foreseen that Spain will support us by providing consulting services and technical assistance, as well as try to maintain the proper representation of the Republic of Albania in the allocation of pre-accession funds (IPA III), thus stimulating the green and digital transition, regional cooperation and convergence with the EU, even in the framework of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.

In particular, Xhaçka said that, “Albania welcomes the fact that in recent years the Spanish foreign policy has also been oriented towards the Eastern Mediterranean, including the Western Balkans, since the strengthening of cooperation between the EU and our region has become more important than ever as a result of the aggression illegal Russian actions against Ukraine and the danger this aggression represents for all of us.”

The minister informed that the meeting also discussed the issue of Kosovo, which takes on special importance, being a fundamental link for the stability and security of the Balkans.

Xhaçka underlined that it is in the interest of the region, but also of the EU itself, to have the widest and most constructive engagement with Kosovo, including its membership in international organizations, in order to avoid an isolation that would have consequences not only for Kosovo, but also for all of us./p.s./

“This document is a symbol of a strong and continued co-operation between the OSCE Presence and the CEC. The CEC has been one of the key and most trusted partners of the Presence for years, and therefore support to Central Election Commission has been among our top priorities throughout my term. The three letters of the CEC should read Consistency, Efficiency and Credibility,” the Head of Presence, Ambassador Vincenzo Del Monaco, said at the signing event. He added that an impartial, capacitated and well-equipped electoral administration is crucial for the integrity of the electoral processes. “In this context, the Presence stands ready to assist the CEC in facing any challenges for the preparation and management of the 2023 local elections,” he said.

In the framework of the broader electoral reform, Ambassador Del Monaco highlighted that the Presence values the resuming of activity of the ad hoc parliamentary committee on Electoral Reform, and encouraged it to address the outstanding OSCE/ODIHR recommendations through a broadly consulted process. He said that, from a technical point of view and based on international best practices, time is getting increasingly short for substantive legal changes to be applicable to the upcoming elections.

State Election Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi expressed his gratitude to the OSCE Presence, thanking Ambassador Del Monaco for his commitment and continued support to the CEC. “We have entered an important stage in the institutional relations between the CEC and the OSCE Presence, and today’s MoU testifies to our bilateral co-operation to date. I believe that we will keep the same level of co-operation in the future. We still have a lot to do; the local government elections are very close, so the support of the OSCE Presence, as one of our key partners, has a role to play in the good administration of the electoral process,” Celibashi said.

The agreement signed today establishes a strong foundation to move forward with tangible actions and interventions in a number of key areas. These include support to the CEC to address OSCE/ODIHR’s recommendations and those stemming from the Albanian Assembly’s resolutions; enhancing its expertise for the administration of elections including on training and voter outreach capacities; and joining forces in facilitating the co-ordination of international assistance on electoral matters.

In line with its mandate, throughout the years, the OSCE Presence in Albania has provided continued support to the Albanian authorities, with the aim of facilitating consensual, timely and inclusive electoral reform processes, as well as offering technical assistance on improving the administration of elections.

Kim said that definition 7031 C is not “negotiable” and no one should claim to be a “mediator”.

7031(c) designation is not subject to “negotiation” & no one should pretend to be a “mediator.” Those designated may blame conspiracies, but the facts are undeniable. President Biden has made clear that the USA will hold accountable those who engage in corruption, said Kim.

“Corruption threatens United States national security, economic equity, global anti-poverty and development efforts, and democracy itself.  But by effectively preventing and countering corruption and demonstrating the advantages of transparent and accountable governance, we can secure a critical advantage for the United States and other democracies.

In issuing this National Security Study Memorandum, I establish countering corruption as a core United States national security interest.  My Administration will lead efforts to promote good governance; bring transparency to the United States and global financial systems; prevent and combat corruption at home and abroad; and make it increasingly difficult for corrupt actors to shield their activities”, reads the Memo.

According to Minister of Finance and Economy Delina Ibrahimaj, the memorandum of understanding is approved in the framework of the “Open Balkans” initiative.

“This is a joint initiative between three countries: Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia. We intend to spread this memorandum to all CEFTA countries. It is about facilitating trade. This memorandum will be followed by a plan of measures that will guarantee free movement of goods, trade for all traders “, said Ibrahimaj.

According to her, the memorandum will serve as a support to entities operating in Albania and entities trading with these two countries./j.p/r.e/p.s./

This memorandum is in context of a new regional project that will monitor organized crime and corruption trials, entitled, “Supporting a more effective justice administration dealing with corruption and organized crime cases in the Western Balkans through Trial Monitoring”.

The project is implemented by the OSCE FO Presence in Albania in full support of Albania’s reform agenda under European Union-funded assistance (IPA II).

At the signing ceremony, Ambassador Del Monaco reiterated that the overall objective of the EU-funded project is to further increase the capacity of the Albanian judiciary to adapt cases of corruption and organized crime in line with international standards and best practices.

He also stressed the crucial role played by the SPAK Courts in implementing justice reform by effectively fighting corruption and organized crime in Albania./p.s./

The memorandum was signed during the visit that Mehmeti paid at the State Police Directorate of Albania.

“The presence of Kosovo Police Patrols is probably a bit symbolic in terms of number or means, but I think that the presence of your services together with our services not only increases security, but it’s also an expression of cooperation with our police services. We have prepared a contingent of leaflets telling the citizens how to orient themselves, where to call, what phone numbers or what application to use and in case they will need us to answer them in the first time “, – said Veliu.

On his part, Mehmeti said that, “It is an honor, it is a privilege, it is a pleasure to be in the General Directorate of Police of Albania, to sign such an agreement. Our police officers have operated together with their Albanian colleagues and exchanged their best possible experiences, exchanged information and have established bridges of friendship. They still keep in touch with each other, which is very important for us.”/j.p/r.e/p.s./

“During this meeting, there were discussed the opportunities offered by the Balkan countries, such as Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia for Lithuanian businesses,” said the President of the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Albania Ines Muçostepa.

Likewise, in context of these talks, there was signed a memorandum  of cooperation between the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Albania and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts of Vilnius, Lithuania.

“Through this memorandum, there is created the opportunity for fruitful cooperation between Lithuania and Albania through the exchange of trade offers for trade cooperation, the exchange of lists of partners interested in mutual cooperation, the naming of export and import goods, as well as the establishment of direct relations between enterprises in different sectors “, said Muçostepa./p.s./