Prime Minister Edi Rama is paying a visit to China as leader of the delegation attending the two-day Economic Summit, China-Central and Eastern Europe, which is being held in the Suzhou, a city in eastern China.

This is the fourth meeting held among the Heads of Government of the 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Premier of China, Li Keqiang.

The theme of this year’s meeting is “A new starting point, new areas, a new vision” which aims at promoting partnership among countries, and at reviewing new proposals on cooperation in infrastructure, economy, agriculture, investment, trading exchanges, etc. The summit is expected to mark a new milestone in the development of cooperation between China and CEE countries.

In his speech, Prime Minister Rama noted that this year’s meeting clearly confirms the political will and commitment of the 17 participating countries to raise the level of cooperation defined in its main pillars in the previous meetings.

In addition to pointing out that Albania has been part of this initiative since the beginning, the Prime Minister assured that his government will support and will engage to further improve the quality and effectiveness of this partnership.

Appreciating the traditional relations between China and Albania which mark their 66th year, the Prime Minister said he was pleased with the fact that these relations are being strengthened further due to new projects. “In our view, the aim of this initiative is the continuation of the economic cooperation and political dialogue. Relations between China and Albania, already ay their 66th  anniversary are very positive at the moment, and I am glad to underline that they are now being reinforced in two other directions; the 1+16 initiative and the Belt and Road project, the two other platforms that are strengthening further our relations.

The twinning of Shantou city in China, starting point of the Silk Road, with the city of Durres, our second biggest city, will pave the way for the development of the port of Durres.”

The Prime Minister said that Agenda adopted by the Summit will serve as a roadmap for sustainable cooperation in the future. The Prime Minister stressed that it is necessary to identify new perspectives among 16+1 countries to better define the multilateral concert between China, Europe and Central and Eastern European countries.

“The agenda we are adopting will serve as a roadmap for sustainable cooperation in the future. Synergy perspectives and new measures need to be identified between 16+1 and China and EU cooperation, between the Belt and Road initiative and the international cooperation to better outline multilateral concert among China, Europe and Center East European countries.”

Focusing on some concrete important projects for the development of the region, Prime Minister Rama stressed the commitment of the Albanian government to boost the development of sectors of common interest in this regard.

“Albania is working to boost tourism, an important sector and national priority and a means to promote inclusive growth and development. Our country has a rich and diverse tourism offer. Tourism on its side is closely linked to infrastructure, which is significant for the development of the entire region, and together with the government of Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, we are very much looking forward for the financing of the Adriatic-Ionian Highway, which we otherwise name “Blue Corridor”.”

The Prime Minister noted that the results and recommendations of the Summit are a significant step forward to encourage a greater, closer and fruitful cooperation among countries. “I believe that the summit results and recommendations are a significant next step forward to achieve the initiative’s goals, and I believe that the actions, both taken and planned, encourage closer partnership and make easier for us to work together to the benefit of our communities.”

 

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Two documents will be adopted in this meeting with an aim at building a platform for cooperation in various areas, in addition to planning cooperation mechanisms.

–   Medium Term Agenda for Cooperation

–   Suzhou roadmap.

The purpose of this summit that is being held in the People’s Republic of China, aims at helping the attending countries to:

– improve the region’s infrastructure and build a safe and efficient the network of land, sea and air roads,

– deepen political trust and enhance their cooperation on a higher level,

–  maintain closer economic links, enhance trade exchanges and facilitate investments,

– create a network of free trade zones with high standards,

– expand cultural exchanges and acknowledge different civilizations in order to learn from each other,

– promote mutual understanding, peace and friendship among the people of all countries.

The tradition of this meeting began in Warsaw in 2012 and was followed by meetings in Bucharest and Belgrade, increasingly expanding the platform for cooperation.