Albanian Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, political-diplomatic consultations at MAE

Minister of Foreign Affairs Emil Hurezeanu met on Wednesday with Megi Fino, Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE).The Albanian official is visiting Bucharest at the invitation of the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clara Staicu, for political-diplomatic consultations.Minister Hurezeanu welcomed the dynamic nature of the Romanian-Albanian contacts in the bilateral framework, regional cooperation formats, as well as at EU and NATO level.The Romanian official expressed the support for intensifying the efforts of the two countries to reach the high potential of the special Romanian-Albanian bilateral relations, including in the economic and sectoral fields. The Romanian minister reiterated Romania's support for Albania's accession process to the European Union. At the same time, he reiterated the importance of the Aromanian national minority in the Republic of Albania, together with the Albanians in Romania, as solid bridges in the continued development of bilateral relations.In her turn, the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clara Staicu, conveyed her great interest in intensifying the dialogue between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, including through the implementation of the 2024-2025 Action Plan on cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Romania and the Republic of Albania, signed in November 2023.The Romanian side welcomed the opening by Albania of the first two clusters of negotiations with the EU (Fundamental Rights and Foreign Relations), "well-deserved steps, which Romania supported, and emphasized the importance of maintaining the pace and quality of the reforms undertaken".In this context, Secretary of State Clara Staicu presented to her Albanian counterpart the cooperation proposals of the Romanian line ministries and institutions aimed at supporting the Republic of Albania in the complex process of European accession negotiations. The Romanian side also expressed its appreciation for the full alignment with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, reflecting Albania's clear geopolitical orientation.The mutual interest to continue to capitalize on the opportunities for intensifying people-to-people exchanges was reconfirmed, including through the numerous economic and sectoral cooperation projects established between the two countries, such as education, culture, home affairs, justice, administration, energy, agriculture, environment, research, innovation, tourism, cyber security.The active role of the Republic of Albania, at regional and multilateral level, in security formats and economic cooperation, as well as as a NATO Ally, was appreciated, especially in the context of the multiple challenges posed by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, the Romanian side reconfirmed its desire to continue the good cooperation with the Republic of Albania within the regional cooperation formats.Other topics of common regional interest were also discussed during the consultations, such as the consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine, the European course of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and recent developments in the Western Balkans. (Photo: www.mae.ro)