Brussels, 27/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 27 April, European Council President Donald Tusk underlined the need for political dialogue in Albania. “Cooperation and dialogue between the parties are crucial to progress with Albania's European ambitions”, Albanian President Bujar Nishani said at a press conference. He described his country as a “weak partner” of the EU.
Tirana “has made considerable progress towards completing its objective of European integration”, Tusk stated. “There is no alternative to the European path for the region [the Western Balkans] (…) With sustainable political will for reform and with strong public support, Albania will make it”, he said, adding that “with strong public support for the reforms (…) Albania can stay the course and adopt the agreed reforms that are still outstanding”. Tusk especially highlighted the “ambitious and comprehensive” reform of the judicial system undertaken by Tirana. “Establishing proactive and non-partisan investigations, trials and sentences in the fight against organised crime and corruption is also a considerable challenge”, he stated. In addition to the reform of the judicial system, Nishani underlined the need to pay more attention to human rights and the question of ownership.
Tusk and Nishani also spoke about regional cooperation. Nishani stated that Albania would continue its policy of good relations and mutual understanding in the region, with special attention to cooperation on the migration crisis - a subject they also addressed during their meeting. Tusk reiterated that the EU was ready to help Albania if an alternative migration route was developed through this country. “We also discussed the need to strengthen EU-NATO cooperation in the light of the current hybrid threats in Europe”, Tusk said, without giving further detail. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)