Brussels, 13/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 13 November, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn underlined the importance of political cooperation between opposition and government in Albania. The political climate in the country is currently tense.
Hahn called on “the government and opposition to take measures to restore the political dialogue in parliament and to contribute to creating the conditions for it to function well.” “I urge all the participants in political life, not only in Albania, but everywhere in the world to have a political debate in parliament”, he added, stating that this is part of the European culture. Hahn also called for reforms to be continued and decisive action to implement the Commission's recommendations (see EUROPE 11173).
Hahn underlined Albania's constructive engagement in the region, while Albanian Minister for Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati, for his part, wanted regional relations to be developed. Bushati underlined his region's need to be transformed into “a real region”. “We are not yet a region if we speak in political, economic and strategic terms”, he said.
EU welcomes prime minister's visit to Serbia. Albania and Serbia tried to strengthen their link with the visit of Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama to Serbia - the first visit of an Albanian leader there since 1946. The spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini described Rama's visit on 10-11 November as “an important step forward in relations between the two countries” and as “the start of a new phase” in their relations. “We commend both leaders for their political courage in pressing ahead with a visit which was of its very nature both challenging and sensitive”, Mogherini's spokesperson also stated. The visit was tense. Rama called on Serbia to recognise the “irreversible reality” of the independence of Kosovo, underlining that “the recognition of Kosovo by the European states was of prime importance”. Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic described this remark as a “provocation”.
Rama's visit was delayed by a few days after incidents during a football match setting Serbia against Albania (see EUROPE 11177). Hahn announced that he would attend the return match in the autumn. (CG)