The Economic Forum between Poland and Albania was held in view of the visit to Tirana of the Prime Minister of Poland Beata Szydlo. Prime Minister Szydlo was accompanied by a group of representatives of Polish business and entrepreneurship. Two agreements were signed in this Forum in the field of economy: the agreement between AIDA (the Albanian Agency for Investment Development) and the Polish Agency, and the agreement between the chambers of commerce of the two countries.
Prime Ministers Edi Rama and Beata Szydlo addressed to the Forum.
Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Dear Madam Prime Minister of Poland!
Dear friends from Poland, and Albanian business partners!
It is a special pleasure for me to welcome today in Albania the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. I believe that this visit to Albania is evidence of the close friendly relations that link Albania with Poland. These relations have a special importance for us.
We are, Albania is determined to explore the full potential of our relationship with Poland and find new ways to strengthen this relationship.
I believe – without wanting to deliver a long speech while following the text prepared on this occasion – with the steps we have taken to ease and promote business, to strengthen the presence of foreign investors, there is a fact which is quite significant, the number of Polish citizens who visit Albania as tourists is growing significantly year after year. So, it is their free choice which should be a meaningful indicator for us of a great potential in tourism.
For this reason – I discussed this with the Prime Minister in the very friendly atmosphere we had – we are ready to provide all the necessary facilities, and to accompany in a process of recognition and investment opportunities in Albania, all entrepreneurs from Poland who will want to be part of Albania’s ongoing development in the field of tourism.
Albania has always been an attractive tourist destination, but it is being discovered as such year after year, and the figures are showing year after year a new real attraction in the Mediterranean. This is not a destination that has been widely explored before, and this is what makes it even more appealing, but we need of course to invest in a quality manner to create optimal conditions for this destination to serve an increased number of tourists.
In this year that is ending, we’ve had in Albania 25% more demand than our hospitality opportunities, while the tourism development potential in Albania, both in the coastal area and in the mountainous area it is to be widely used. There has been development in recent years, but the remaining part to be considered and to be developed in a qualitative way is still much bigger than the part that has been used to date, and it hasn’t always been of the required quality.
Of course, tourism is not the only area.
Our country has a great hydro-energetic potential. We are the second richest country in water resources in Europe, after Norway. Actually, our hydro-energetic potential is still to be widely used. A significant progress has been made in this field. In addition to the presence here of large companies, Albania has become more attractive in terms of energy investments since the country has been involved in the Transadriatic gas pipeline project.
We must not forget also the fact that Albania is a country rich in oil, both offshore and onshore. There have been important developments also in this sector, as well as the presence of large and very important investors. Suffice it to bring as an example the fact that while “Shell” has closed down because of oil price depression, a large part of its exploration programs for a period of time, the exploration programs of the company in Albania not only were not closed, but they have been developed further with new contracts.
Of course, we have a significant potential also in the area of agriculture. We welcome foreign investors because we’re seeing also in this area some very encouraging signs of a transformation that has had as direct result a significant growth in Albanian exports in recent years.
Albania is a country where manufacturing also has had a significant development, and it has now entered a cycle of transformation in order to shift from the tool manufacturing industry to the closed cycle industry while remaining very attractive because labour costs are still very low compared with other countries of the European Union.
Above all, as you could see today after leaving in the morning with the snow, Albania is a country that has a very generous sun in a very long span of time throughout the year. It is a country where there can be without the slightest doubt many things still to be settled, but one thing is certain: you don’t get ever bored in Albania, which is something you cannot say with certainty about Poland or other EU countries. Maybe, we will become also “boring” when we are members of the European Union, but for the time being I think that we should take advantage of this fact because the truth is that many people come to Albania from abroad, and they have all sorts of prejudices, many people who either don’t bother at all to travel to Albania, or when they decide to, they have a great scepticism, but I assure you that there is no person who having come here and having known Albania, doesn’t want to come back.
I’m convinced that the same will occur to you who are here, to the Prime Minister, whom I am giving now the floor so she can witness herself how beautiful Albania is.
Prime Minister of Poland, Beata Szydlo:
Dear Prime Minister!
Dear ministers!
Indeed, the weather in Albania is very beautiful, and normally this is one of the reasons why Albania will become a member of the European Union as soon as possible.
Ladies and gentleman!
I’m very happy for this visit. I am very happy to meet and talk with Mr Prime Minister. We talked about many issues, including our bilateral cooperation, which can bring our economies closer. We talked also about cooperation in the field of culture, and an important agreement was signed between our respective ministries.
I’m very happy to be accompanied by you, representatives of the Polish business.
As Prime Minister Rama noted, Albania is a country that is open to investors, ideas, to your projects. It is open to your cooperation. I believe that we should take advantage of this opportunity.
Poland and Albania have much in common. We have a shared history of friendship and cooperation. Something else we have in common is our common future. We have to cooperate, and I hope that this meeting will be the beginning of a deeper and closer cooperation.
Albania has the ambition to become an EU member, and Poland has always supported and will support Albania.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Albanian government on the reforms implemented so far. I hope that it will have soon the assessment by the European institutions.
I was very pleased to notice the decision of the European Commission that gave a positive opinion on the reforms undertaken in Albania. It is a major step towards integration, but are still awaiting the decision of the Council of the European Union, and I hope that this will be a positive decision.
Mr Prime Minister, let me confirm once again: Poland will continue to support Albania in its path towards membership in the European Union.
However, our cooperation is not only a contact on the political level. It is very important for us to ensure that our economic ties are stronger, in order to increase the commercial value of our turnover. It is in the interest of the Polish economy.
Poland has been implementing for a year its program of responsible development which is an ambitious program, and we hope to accelerate growth. Economy is our priority. We are quite consistent in our actions.
One of the elements of our plan for responsible development is cooperation with other countries, and we want to expand and deepen this cooperation. We want to open up to new markets. We want to look for new areas and new countries where we can apply our economic programs.
This is why I would like to emphasize how pleased I am that I was able to visit Albania, accompanied by Polish businessmen and representatives of our business sector. I hope that today’s forum held in Tirana will bear fruit for many good projects and new economic ventures.
Poland has had the opportunity to present its bid for the export of energy, machinery manufacturing, agricultural equipment, as well as fruits and vegetables and processed food products. I hope that this bid will be considered interesting by the Albanian part, and that the Polish benefits and services will be soon given credit by Albanian customers.
As I said, when it comes to economy, our government’s priority is the implementation of our strategy for responsible development. We want Polish products to be more popular. We want to strengthen our exports and consider new directions to expand the Polish business.
New agencies are being established and are intended to promote exports and investments. Currently we are working intensively to establish this agency, and we want it to be a modern institution that will work on comprehensive and complex issues. Hopefully, it will be matched with the needs and requirements of businessmen.
In fact, this course is focused on supporting Polish businesses in foreign countries, but also on attracting new investments. We want to promote Polish investments abroad, and we hope that this agency will start its operations for activity later this year.
We will launch 69 trade offices in European Union member states, but also in neighbouring countries. We aim to limit barriers that are an obstacle for Polish exports.
We will also intensify the cooperation of the National Bank when it comes to economic development. We want this Bank to support investments by Polish companies or equity groups.
Also, we will welcome an increased activity in terms of small and medium enterprises. In this respect, Poland has prepared the conditions and support for this sector which will allow new opportunities for growth and development.
Ladies and gentleman!
The potential to develop bilateral Economic cooperation between Albania and Poland has been there for a long time. Currently, further potential can be seen in the fields of mining, energy, tourism, environmental protection and agriculture.
I am very happy that cooperation between Albania and Poland is developing systematically. At the same time, Albanian exports to Poland have increased systematically. During the first 9 months of 2016, they increased by 27%, which in fact is the best evidence of how much competitive Albanian products are. Polish exports to Albania increased by 9% this year. According to our estimates, there is still potential to be exploited.
All the figures I mentioned are satisfactory. However, there is still space and ground to develop and deepen cooperation, especially when it comes to economic issues.
I can say that the figures mentioned today are satisfactory. However, we all know that we can do and achieve more. There is still potential to be exploited. I am fully convinced that today’s Economic Forum is just the beginning of a very good cooperation between our countries.
Let me emphasize once again: Albania’s membership in the European Union is of fundamental importance for the stability and security of the region. It is our priority, and we will do everything to support Albania in its efforts aimed at this membership.
I would like to wish all of you success, and congratulate you on the projects and agreements to be signed today.
Thank you very much!
