Prime Minister Edi Rama received the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Várhelyi at a meeting in Tirana on Thursday. The two held a joint press conference after the bilateral meeting. PM Rama said that at their meeting he and the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Mr. Várhelyi had a broad and open discussion about the current state of the EU integration process, the regional relations and of course the ongoing  war in Ukraine and its impact on the economies of our countries. The government head added that the two also focused on the upcoming European Council meeting that is set to discuss again whether to open or not the first intergovernmental conference between Albania and the European Union.

“As each and every one of you already know, this is not a matter concerning what Albania and we have done or have failed to do, and it is a matter not having to do with any opposition within the European Council, but it is a result of the impasse caused by the Bulgarian veto imposed on North Macedonia.

I shared with the Commissioner that we are pursuing a path that has established our position as a constructive one and a position actually connected and coupled with that of North Macedonia and that is in compliance with the Commission’s and the Council’s position not to decouple Albania from North Macedonia. That’s our current position,” PM Rama confirmed.

The government head also noted that Commissioner Várhelyi has been a staunch supporter of inclusion of the Corridor 8 with the European network, which would allow us to access the needed funding to construct the Corridor 8 project. “Therefore, we very much hope this decision is made too so that we further push forward the application process with North Macedonia and deliver on the Corridor 8 project through support from the European Union,” Rama said.

On his part, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Várhelyi  said he was happy that the investment plan is not just a plan, but it is already working properly, illustrating it with the Tirana University and the Students City projects.

“We can’t start celebrating as long as it still takes a five-hour drive to travel between Skopje and Tirana. This is the reason why we are supporting the Corridor 8 idea and why we wish to include it in our main project. The Commission is convinced that no interconnection of the Western Balkans will be in place without this, namely without this connection between the states, the capitals and the cities, because such a connection is missing between the Adriatic and the Black Sea. This would create new trade routes, as well as fresh investment opportunities,” Commissioner Várhelyi said.

He expressed gratitude to Albania and Prime Minister Rama for all the support and the cooperation, saying “we will continue to count on your commitment and support in the future,” in a reference to Albania’s approach to the war in Ukraine.

PM Rama and Commissioner Várhelyi  then answered to the reporters’ questions