Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačevski: Honourable citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia and honourable citizens of the Republic of Albania! Honourable representatives of the two governments and states!
I would like to thank you all for attending today’s press conference after the second joint session between the governments of North Macedonia and the Republic of Albania. I am honored to be the host of my dear friend Edi today, just like Edi was our host when the first joint intergovernmental session was held in Albania.
Edi and I share a strong political will to strengthen cooperation. We have both demonstrated what courageous and responsible leadership based on European values means, and that is why North Macedonia and Albania are together on the European path today.
North Macedonia and Albania are a true example of how good neighbourly relations are built. At key moments for the world, we jointly contribute to peace and security in the Western Balkans, and in Europe. Today, we are overcoming the current challenges of global economic and energy crisis in solidarity, as equal NATO members and partners of the USA within the framework of the Open Balkan initiative, within the framework of the Berlin process and through the promotion of bilateral relations.
Today we are laying the foundations for the development of our two countries, as we march together on the European path, how to make our countries a better place to live, and confirm that we are working hard, but also to build hope that the future will be better. We will emerge out of this crisis together in solidarity, and no one will be left alone.
We signed several memoranda on promotion of cooperation in almost all areas, of course, specifically focusing on energy, to which the whole world is attaching whole attention, in a bid to secure more sustainable renewable energy sources.
What I would like to highlight and single out among other things we agreed upon today, another tangible proof of our good cooperation and mutual trust, is the agreement for the return of illegally traded icons from our country since 2013. These icons represent a significant part of the national cultural heritage. Once the criminal proceedings conducted by the judicial authorities in Tirana complete, under today’s Agreement, a procedure for their physical return to our country will be started.
The European Union is witnessing our joint commitment to economic development and the Union has finally realized that it is also in its strategic security interest for the Western Balkans to be part of Europe, because the Western Balkan countries have democratic progressive leaderships and it is now time to ensure the rounding of the European family.
And we have fulfilled all our promises so far and will continue to do so. The launch of the accession negotiations and the start of the screening process is a huge success for all of us. In this context, for us, the recognition from Europe of the Macedonian identity and the Macedonian language was very important. The negotiations were painful and tough ones, but we succeeded in delivering on what we fought for. Not only have we preserved the Macedonian identity and the Macedonian language, but we also took it to the level of other languages in the European Union.
Membership in the European Union is a strategic goal of the Republic of North Macedonia, just as it is a strategic goal of the Republic of Albania. We started the screening process together, and together we have the opportunity to complete the negotiations and become full-fledged EU members. Finally, I would like to express gratitude for Albania’s great friendly support for our country’s NATO membership. It is another point of connection between our two countries, just like the care for the Albanian citizens in North Macedonia and the care for the Macedonian citizens in Albania.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you dear Dimitar! Mr. Prime Minister,
We had a very productive meeting and we finalized 21 accords that we have agreed upon through a process of intense interaction, as an organic part of our governments already in continued interaction with one another. At the same time, we also agreed on three initiatives tabled by the First Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Artan Grubi, regarding construction of the Corridor 8 project, the construction of a Dry Port in Struga and the opening of the first Struga-Pogradec border crossing. The three are of incredible strategic importance. On the other hand, we have also agreed on the preliminary design of Struga Dry Port project that has been taken over by the Albanian government in the framework with the leading company Royal Haskoning that has designed the new commercial cargo port, combined with the military area in Durres, as well as the Prishtina Dry Port project. This way we are confident that a complex infrastructure will be built in view of boosting the volume of the interaction and exchanges between our countries as the primary goal of the Open Balkan initiative, as well as the Berlin Process.
Out joint governments meeting is taking place at an extremely challenging time for the whole Europe, for the whole Western flank of Russia, a part we belong to, that though we didn’t start the war in Ukraine, nor can we stop it, we still suffer like everyone else the consequence of this war, which, in my view, is designed as a war not just aiming some absurd territorial claims on Ukraine, but devised to bring the whole Western world to its knees through the staggering increase in the price of electricity and heating, as and through war-driven inflation. These are the two weapons being used by Vladimir Putin to destabilize Europe and the countries comprising Europe, be them either EU member states or the Western Balkan countries. We are all facing hardship and in these difficult times, once again the principle is affirmed that the more we interact, the more we work together, the more we see the future as a common destination, the better we can cope with these complex situations that affect us all in this ever smaller world.
I am very happy that very strong foundations have been laid with the Republic of North Macedonia to jointly build a common future that fully respects the freedoms and the rights of our people, but also a safe future for the next generation and today, with only a few days to go until the EU –Western Balkan summit, which is also the first summit in the history of the EU to be held in our region. This time the summit will take place in Tirana. We are fully aware that this represents an opportunity for us to highlight the strength of cooperation and at the same time to point out our needs, not just as needs that should be met for us, but as needs that should be addressed so that a situation is created with each and every one of us being in a same front and with everyone trying to further consolidate this front.
Regarding the aspect of our bilateral relations, I would say that the ties between the two countries have never been better than today, and they are yielding continued concrete results. The Open Balkan initiative has already produced tangible results and data on its advantages and gains. It would suffice to take a look at the exports and imports or trade exchanges between the two countries to confirm the significant growth, way too higher than the trend in import-export volumes over the previous years and such a growth is just an important indicator of the potential for us to take this relation forward in the best interest of the two countries and states.
We have come together for the first time, if I am not mistaken, as two countries already negotiating to join the EU after a long and difficult period, with us, as luck would have it, being united in the painful love for Europe and Europe’s indifference towards us. Now we have already ushered in another uneasy new phase that has ultimately affirmed that our countries’ future lies with the united European family and this affirmation is the outcome of our passion, hard work, accomplishments and determination to “marry either willingly or reluctantly our common sweetheart,” united Europe.
