During his visit to Tirana, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bojan Marichic met with the Albanian Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, the Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka, and Zef Mazi, the Chief EU negotiator for the Republic of Albania. At the meetings with senior state officials, we reaffirmed the view that the two countries are not giving up on EU despite the long wait, as well as the importance of the European Union supporting the integration process of North Macedonia and Albania.

It is time to capitalize on what we have achieved so far in terms of reforms, and to have a set date for North Macedonia and Albania to start their negotiations with the Union, Deputy Prime Minister Marichic said at meetings with his counterpart Ahmetaj and Foreign Minister Xhaçka.

At the meeting with Zef Mazi, the Chief Negotiator for the Accession of the Republic of Albania to the EU, the two officials agreed that the focus of both countries in the forthcoming period would be placed on ensuring full readiness of the state administration for the accession negotiation process, which will be in line with the new Methodology. The issue of revitalization of the 2012 Cooperation Agreement for European Integration was also opened, as well as the possibility of organizing the first meeting of the Joint Committee, as laid down in the Cooperation Agreement.

Marichic also met with the new German Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, who conveyed the message that our partner, the Federal Republic of Germany, continues to support the countries of the Western Balkans in their efforts to join the European Union, which is of particular importance for the region at a time when it is facing challenges.