During his visit to Korça, Japlej said that, “we feel that there is a small window of opportunity for the start of negotiations, ie for the convening of the first Intergovernmental Conference.”

“We have predicted several scenarios of how events can unfold. Obviously, the best scenario is to start negotiations under the Slovenian presidency or at least to set a date for negotiations under the French presidency,” he said.

He stressed that, “Albania has done what was required.”

“Two strong ladies visited Albania recently, Merkel and Von der Leyen and both said that Albania has met the conditions and now it is the EU’s turn to deliver on the promises. But there are some complex reasons on the part of the EU, such as the problem between Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Albania has nothing to do with it, but in some way it is a victim of this debate,” the Slovenian Ambassador added.

During the enlargement talks, Slovenia also faced similar problems with its neighbors, such as Austria, regarding the German-speaking community in Slovenia. Certainly, the Slovenians were disappointed when this issue was raised at the negotiating table. This also brought tension to the relations, but the Slovenians started the talks and in the conclusion a compromise agreement was reached. The issue was resolved. I was in Vienna at the time to deal with this problem and as they say “Gone”. Thus, for a good, common future, today it is worse to get into a dispute, because tomorrow you will forget it,” Japelj said.

Asked about the EU-Western Balkans summit in Slovenia, Japelj said that, “the October 5 Summit in Slovenia was a success, but we are dealing with a complex issue.”

“The declaration was drafted in cooperation with 27 member states. The statement mentions enlargement for the first time in the history of this summit. And that’s a success. This is a strong message for the Western Balkans, as it shows support of the EU, as well as it is seem as a secure future for the Western Balkans and the EU together,” he added. //a.i/