Prime Minister Edi Rama’s statement after today’s meeting with French President Macron:
I was sent an invitation from the President, whom I hadn’t met for some time now. He wished to have a working lunch with me and discuss bilateral ties, the progress of the French Development Agency programme that is involved in funding three important projects, with the most important one being the investment designed to finalize entire required work to conclude the comprehensive investment project on construction of the water supply system in Durres and ultimately ensure 24-hour supply to Durres residents, a commitment I had asked the President to deliver on in the wake of the earthquake.
Likewise, we discussed another important investment in the energy sector, as well as a programme on women and girls, a very interesting programme indeed that we will be implementing along with the French Development Agency. In the meantime, we talked about French investments in Albania’s energy sector, namely the investment by French company Voltalia to build the Karavasta photovoltaic park, the biggest solar energy plant in the region, as well as one or two other important projects.
We also discussed the European investment plan in the Balkans, with Albania being committed to benefiting funding for a series of projects with national and regional impact on transport, infrastructure and digitalization.
Of course, we broadly dwelled upon the situation in the region, the relations among the countries in the region regarding Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, the implementation of the four fundamental European freedoms in the framework of the Regional Schengen and other issues that were part of our long conversation.
-Will you be a mediator between Kosovo and Serbia so that they attune their positions?
-I am not the right person to mediate between Kosovo and Serbia, because I am partial and as such I definitely defend the interests of both Albania and Kosovo. This is a process where it is up to Kosovo’s leaders to take the dialogue forward the way they seem it reasonable. Of course with my and government’s support today and in the future in Tirana, and certainly we may resort to different approaches at certain moments on how to reach the goal, but our goal remains absolutely the same and I am partial.
–Did you receive any signal regarding the integration process?
-It is an ongoing process. I have stated and I reiterate that there is no secret. The biggest public secret, if we can reveal it, is that we have delivered on our homework and everything will depend on the situation within the European Council and the dynamics within the EU Member States. So, this is a known fact and there is no need to further comment on it.
