In a joint press conference with the President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, Begaj stated, “This visit carries special significance; it is the first visit of a Slovak president to Albania since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and it is an important indicator, not only of the friendship between our two peoples but also of the desire to expand and strengthen it.”

Begaj expressed his confidence that, “this visit will serve as a foundation for future visits and meetings at all levels, leading to concrete results in strengthening the cooperation between our two countries.”

The Head of State said that “he and President Pellegrini talked about the strong relations between our two peoples and countries, which are founded on mutual respect and understanding.”

“We emphasized our commitment to strengthening our cooperation in all areas of mutual interest and benefit,” said Begaj.

Begaj stated that, “the excellent political relations should be reflected in a more proactive cooperation agenda, particularly by expanding exchanges within the scope of parliamentary diplomacy.”
“During the discussions, emphasis was placed on the need to enhance and expand economic cooperation and trade ties between our two countries, which, despite increase in recent years, remain at modest levels,” highlighted Begaj.

Begaj emphasized that, “there are opportunities and concrete possibilities to deepen and further strengthen bilateral economic cooperation.”

Tourism was another topic under discussion during the meeting. Begaj mentioned that, “the data for 2024 have placed Albania among the top tourist destinations, as reported by the World Tourism Organization.”

“We assessed the strengthening of cooperation in this sector, the potential for investments, and the promotion of this sector,” said Begaj.
Begaj stated that the meeting also discussed European integration.

“Slovakia has always been an active and steadfast supporter of EU enlargement. It has provided assistance, expertise, and experience for our country’s EU integration processes,” said Begaj.

The Head of State expressed gratitude to Slovakia for its support.

“We are determined to advance rapidly and believe in a process based on merit, grounded in our progress. We are very optimistic about opening all the chapters within this year, and also, in line with our national objective, we aim to close negotiations with the EU by 2027, and we are optimistic that we will finalize our EU membership by 2030,” said Begaj.
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