The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Olta Xhaçka, welcomed today the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Mr. Josep Borrell.
The crisis triggered by the illegal and unjustified Russian military attack on Ukraine and its consequences, including in the Western Balkans region, were in the focus of the meeting.
The Minister and the High Representative agreed that strengthening unity and stopping the means that fuel the war are very important in the current situation. The High Representative valued Albania’s diplomatic action in the UN Security Council and other international organizations, its full alignment with EU positions and sanctions implemented, and the willingness to receive displaced citizens from Ukraine due to the aggression.
Minister Xhaçka said that in the face of this great crisis of European security, the Western Balkans should not be left out of the focus of the European Union. The process of European integration of the countries of the region should be accelerated, by holding the first intergovernmental conferences for Albania and Northern Macedonia as soon as possible.
Both concluded that the EU engagement in the Western Balkans region should be demonstrated in ways that will make the region part of sustainable solutions, including in times of crisis.
