The President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, today held a meeting in the Presidency with the rapporteur for Albania in the European Parliament, Isabel Santos.
The focus of the discussion was Albania's membership in the EU and the country's reform and development challenges
According to the announcement from the Presidency, Begaj appreciated the work and contribution of MEP Santos and her colleagues in the preparation of last year's report on Albania, underlining its realism and the spirit of support for the opening of negotiations for Albania and the holding of the first conference intergovernmental EU-Albania.
The head of state has also appreciated the important support that the European Parliament has given to the EU enlargement process with Albania and other countries of the Western Balkans, underlining that "the support of the European Parliament is necessary to achieve the objectives set in of the negotiation process and the development of the second EU-Albania intergovernmental meeting".
Focusing on the new geopolitical developments, after the Russian military aggression in Ukraine, Begaj emphasized that Albania will always remain a very reliable partner in the framework of the European Union's foreign and security policy and will always join the decisions of EU positions in these directions.
The two interlocutors also focused on the developments in the Western Balkans region and the specific challenges that this region and its countries are facing, especially in the new geopolitical conditions.