President of SR: Without the Western Balkans, the EU project will never be complete

Tirana/Bratislava – The President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, was received by his counterpart, Bejram Begaj, during an official visit to Albania on Friday. At a joint press conference, Pellegrini expressed unequivocal support for Albania in the EU integration process. According to the Slovak president, the EU project will never be completed without the Western Balkans, reports a special TASR correspondent.

According to Pellegrini, Slovakia is a “strong advocate” for Albania in the EU accession process and pointed out the reforms that Albania has managed to implement. The Slovak president believes that the Albanian government will be able to close all accession chapters by 2027. He expressed hope that by 2030 a decision could be made on Albania’s accession to the EU.

In this context, Pellegrini recalled that as prime minister he had already criticized the prolongation of the accession process. Slovakia, according to him, rejects the double approach to candidate countries and the deliberate stalling of the accession of new member states. The president stated that Slovakia will be helpful to Tirana in this context and is ready to provide its experience and expertise.

“Without the accession of Albania and the Western Balkan countries, the EU project will never be completed,” said the Slovak president.

During the historically first visit of a Slovak head of state to Albania, the presidents also addressed various other topics, including cooperation in areas such as defense, education, agriculture, and environmental protection. Pellegrini clarified that Slovakia will strengthen economic relations with Albania through an additional economic diplomat at the Slovak Embassy in Tirana.

The presidents also touched on the issue of Kosovo during the negotiations. Pellegrini reassured Bejram that Slovakia’s decision not to recognize Kosovo’s independence has nothing to do with Slovakia’s stance towards the Albanian nation, which Slovakia considers friendly. He recalled Slovakia’s long-standing position to generally not recognize countries that declared independence unilaterally.

In addition to meeting with the Albanian head of state, Pellegrini will also be received by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Parliament Speaker Elisa Spiropali. Pellegrini is accompanied on the visit by Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák, who held talks with his Albanian counterpart Pirro Vengu. (March 28)