At the SEECP summit, President Bajram Begaj urged regional leaders to prioritize Western Balkan EU integration, enhanced security, and sustainable connectivity. He framed the SEECP as a powerful catalyst for regional development and an indispensable platform for realizing a shared European future.

President Begaj highlighted the focus on strategic connectivity—specifically Corridor VIII, Porto Romano, and the Adriatic-Ionian corridor. He stressed that regional cooperation must deliver tangible improvements in trade and mobility across SEECP members, affirming that “when one country moves forward, it drives stability and development for all.”

President Begaj highlighted regional cooperation as the foundation for stability and a shared European future. Confirming Albania’s commitment to this goal, he stated, “We are advancing our reform agenda and moving forward in the EU accession process, with the objective of concluding negotiations within the next year.” He reiterated that EU integration remains a top priority, supported by a SEECP consensus that the enlargement process must remain credible, predictable, and based strictly on results.

The Head of State underlined that the European perspective of the Western Balkans is essential for the stability of the entire region.

At the end of the summit, the leaders adopted the Sofia Declaration, while the SEECP Presidency officially passed to Bucharest.

The Head of State expressed his support for the upcoming Romanian SEECP Presidency, convinced that under his leadership this process will continue to bring significant results.

While in Sofia, President Bajram Begaj held a friendly meeting with Bulgarian leadership to deepen bilateral cooperation. They discussed Albania’s recent reform progress, with Bulgaria officially reaffirming its commitment to supporting Albania’s path toward EU membership.

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Under the title “Albanian Voices in European Literature”, the event organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Albania, in cooperation with the Department of Balkan Studies, brought together diplomats, academics, students and cultural personalities. Attending was also Director of the French Institute in Sofia Luc Levy and Anisa Ymeri, director of the Kadare House Museum in Tirana.

Ambassador of Albania to Bulgaria Inid Milo highlighted in her remarks that Kadare engages the intellect, whereas Agolli stirs the soul while adding that language remains the tool where identity, history and imagination intertwine.

Student-led readings and music bridged Albanian and Bulgarian culture, showing literature as a unifying, traveling force.

BTA provided international coverage of the event, strengthening the promotion of Albanian cultural heritage. /gj.m/j.p/p.s./

Kumbaro said that there is expected the participation of 40 tourism ministers, as a great opportunity to promote the sustainable development of tourism at the highest level of policy making.

During her speech, Minister Kumbaro said that, “In 2022, we welcomed 7.5 million foreign visitors, ranking at the top of the countries with the fastest recovery of tourism after the pandemic. Albania is becoming the host of international five-star hotel brands, but at the same time preserves small guesthouses that offer the experience of tradition and organic food”.

She also took the opportunity to thank the UNWTO for the excellent cooperation.

In the latest publication of the World Tourism Organization, Albania ranks third in the world and first in Europe in terms of recovering the growth of tourist flow in 2023, compared to 2019, which coincides with the period before the pandemic.

During her stay in Sofia, Minister Kumbaro also had meetings with the Secretary General of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, and counterparts from other European countries where Albania has been maximally supported for its sustainable tourism development model and readiness to adapt to the new challenges posed by this industry at a global level.

The organization of the International Tourism Convention in Tirana, FESTA, (The Future of Environmental and Sustainable Tourism in Albania) at the beginning of April was appreciated during the 68th meeting of the Commission for Europe of the World Tourism Organization for promoting the vision of developing the tourism industry in accordance with the preservation of the environment./k.s/p.s./

On the second day of this festival, 3 Albanian artists; Merita Rexha Tërshana (piano), Nevila Kalaja (violin) and Bledar Zajmi (cello) performed well-known Albanian and Bulgarian pieces.

The days of Albanian music in Bulgaria continued in Stara Zagora with a chamber concert “Suonos Albanicus” with the well-known Albanian instrumentalists Abigeila Voshtina, Visar Kuçi, Herida Duro, Mario Guralumi and the soprano Besa Llugiqi. The event was organized with the support of the Opera Theater of Stara Zagora.

Speaking about this artistic activity, Minister of Culture of Bulgaria Velislav Minekov highlighted the significance of art and culture in building bridges between the two countries, which are so close, but not so connected. For her part, Ambassador Donika Hoxha thanked the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture for organizing this event for the first time in Bulgaria, but which will be followed by others.

And in fact, very soon diva Inva Mula, pianist Genc Tukici and virtuoso Olen Cesari will perform at the Sofia Opera House. They will be part of the “Voyage Around the World” concert, organized by the Albanian embassy, ​​on occasion of the 110th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Albania./p.s./

The first flight on this route departed from Sofia Airport’s Terminal 2 on Saturday and the return flight was scheduled two hours later.

The flights are carried out by GullivAir on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

The Bulgarian airline also services the recently renewed flight service between Sofia and Skopje. The flights are carried out on Saturdays and Mondays.

As of June 17, GullivAir will offer direct flights to Thessaloniki.

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PM Rama informed that during the meeting they discussed the excellent bilateral relations. They also talked on the need for dialogue between the parties to resolve the critical impasse between Bulgaria and North Macedonia which currently prevents the call of EU-Albania Intergovernmental Conference.

Yesterday, PM Rama concluded his two-day visit to Hungary, where he discussed bilateral cooperation in several fields and European integration, while today he is continuing his official visit to Bulgaria. /m.m/p.s./