The regional Summit of Western Balkan leaders began in Tirana with the participation of the heads of government and states from six Western Balkan nations, namely Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.

The participants were welcomed by the Prime Minister Edi Rama at the Palace of Brigades. In his opening remarks, PM Rama said:

“Thank you very much for accepting the invitation in such a short notice and I am delighted to wish each and every one of you welcome to Tirana.

Your attendance at this Western Balkans Six Summit is a clear sign of our will to take regional authorship of implementation of the EU economic and investment plan in the Western Balkans and the common regional market.

I am particularly grateful to the EU Commissioner for launching and promoting this major as a key instrument, which will help us all to recover economically in a post-pandemic era, work on social and economic resilience, help us press ahead with sustainable growth and build on the green and digital transition of our economies.

Thank you for being here!