President Begaj, who headed the Albanian delegation at the high-level meeting, delivered a speech for those present, as well as gave a media statement.

In the media statement, Begaj congratulated Montenegro on the chairmanship in office of the SEECP, considering any initiative aimed at bringing closer and strengthening regional cooperation as necessary and crucial.

“The presence in this initiative of the member states of the European Union, but also of the representatives of the European Union, shows their support for Albania and for the other countries of the Western Balkans in the process of integration into the European Union and in their Euro-Atlantic journey,” he said.

The Head of State added that the many challenges that the societies of the Western Balkans and the countries of South-Eastern Europe are facing are similar, so it is needed joint commitment in addressing them, drawing on the best practices and experiences.
Focusing on security challenges, President Begaj underlined that the security situation in Europe has changed due to the war in Ukraine.

“The European Union has increased its focus on the Western Balkans, and we as countries of the Western Balkans and South-Eastern Europe must cooperate better around the challenges that concern our peoples the most, such as the challenge related to security, economic cooperation, challenges related to energy, infrastructure, green agenda or digital transformation,” he said.
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