03/26/2023 21:30 (act. 03/26/2023 21:50)
Van der Bellen visits Albania ©APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen will hold political talks in Albania on Monday. In the morning he will be received with military honors by Albanian President Bajram Begaj in Tirana. Meetings with Prime Minister Edi Rama and Speaker of Parliament Lindita Nikolla are planned. In addition, the Federal President will make a speech in Parliament and open an economic forum with his counterpart Begaj.
The Federal President will be accompanied on his visit to Albania by the Minister of Justice Alma Zadić (Greens) and a large business delegation with representatives of around 30 local companies. Van der Bellen travels to neighboring North Macedonia on Tuesday. In the two EU candidate countries, the Federal President wants to be a “door opener” for local businessmen. Approaching the EU must be at the center of political negotiations.
After years of waiting, Albania and North Macedonia finally managed to start EU accession negotiations in July last year. The Russian attack on Ukraine about a year ago and concerns about the destabilization of the Western Balkan region due to the growing influence of Russia and China have also created new momentum in the slow process of EU expansion. Albania has been a candidate for EU membership since 2014.