Speaking at a joint press conference after the plenary session, President Musar reaffirmed Slovenia’s strong support for the enlargement of the European Union, stressing that the Western Balkans must become part of the bloc.

“I firmly believe that all Western Balkan countries should be part of the EU – not only for their own benefit but also for ours – because peace and security in Europe will be at risk if we fail to achieve this,” Musar said.

She praised European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos for her efforts, expressing hope that all 27 EU member states would recognize the need to accelerate the process.

“Slovenia will continue to promote and seek solutions to speed up enlargement. The EU was founded as a peace project, and for me, that remains the most important thing,” Musar added.

For his part, Croatian President Zoran Milanović underlined that Croatia offers assistance to all countries in the region without distinction.

“I do not see this process as any form of mentorship by Slovenia or Croatia toward non-EU members. The Croatian government provides help wherever possible, without discrimination, and I believe this will continue,” he said.

Milanović noted that there is too little discussion about the EU’s internal organization. “The European community has become a large and complex administration. While I’m not a believer in the EU as an institution, I accept it as an important framework for open states – though the borders we have set often make little sense,” he added.

The Croatian president also expressed his wish for the next Brdo-Brijuni meeting to be hosted in Croatia.

The Brdo-Brijuni Process, launched in 2010 by Slovenia and Croatia, brings together Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia to foster regional cooperation and advance European integration.

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In her speech at the joint press conference with President Bajram Begaj, Musar said that, “The European elections will certainly be an important indicator of the direction of where Europe will go”.

“In the first two years of my office, the focus was on the Western Balkans. The reason is simple. Slovenia believes that the countries of the Western Balkan should be in the European Union. I am very satisfied with the words of Charles Michel in Bled last year that the EU will have to accept the states of this region by 2030. For Albania, this is not impossible, when I read the results of your country, I am very satisfied”, underlined Musar.

The Slovenian president said that, “I am satisfied with your fight against corruption; your SPAK has a precious trust. I often say that no country is immune to corruption and crime, not even my country, and I believe that such a path is the same”.

Musar emphasized in her speech also the economic relations between the two countries.

“Bilateral roles between our countries are important since we have no open issues between the two countries, but we are both convinced that we can do more. In 2022, the exchange of goods reached 92 million Euros, while in 2023 they reached 104 million, and here there is room for their further growth,” said Musar.

Speaking about tourism, Musar said that, “I am satisfied with Albania’s progress in the field of tourism. Last year you reached over 10 million tourists, while this year I believe you will have 14-16 million tourists. I am happy that Slovenians come to Albania every year. Last year there were more than 20 thousand Slovenians”.

According to her, the large number of tourists also brings greater responsibility.

“I am committed to sustainable green development; here we can do a lot together. Slovenia has such direction and we can learn a lot from each other”, said Musar.

The Slovenian president also spoke about the resolution on Srebrenica that is expected to be voted on at the UN this afternoon.

“Before the vote on Srebrenica, I am very pleased that all the states of the Western Balkans have united, except Serbia. I believe that we are all aware of how important these resolutions are also because of the conflicts, the war in Gaza breaks my heart and often does not let me sleep. We politicians should talk about what is right and what is not. We all know what happened in Srebrenica. I do not doubt that state leaders will find a solution, as we often forget the civilians who suffer the most in these wars, such as in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan”, said Musar./k.s/p.s./