TIRANA, Jan. 26 – Key Albanian and Macedonian officials have exchanged a series of visitsrecently, in a sign of the increased political cooperation between two neighboring countries, aiming to boost ties.
Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki visited Albania on Monday, while Albania’s Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli made a visit to Skopje a few days earlier, just after that of the Albanian Parliament Speaker Ilir Meta.
The talks focused on European integration and improvement of bilateral relations. They also discussed on shared bodies of water and the problems that have resulted from them, especially the building of a hydropower station in Macedonia that would significantly cut water supply to the Albanian part of Dibra.
They also talked on the completion of the railway connection between the two countries, which he said was a project of strategic urgency for them in view of enhancing bilateral as well as regional cooperation along the EU-defined transport Corridor 8.
Poposki and his Albanian counterpart pledged to improve further economic cooperation between the two countries especially on the common infrastructure projects.
At the meetings, the Albanian government has urged Macedonia to respect and apply the Ohrid Agreement, which would assist that country in its road toward the Euro-Atlantic integration.
“Its full and rigorous application serves building reciprocal trust among the (ethnic) communities and Macedonia’s European and Euro-Atlantic future,” said Albanian FM Ditmir Bushati.
Ethnic Albanians make up a significant part of the Macedonian population, up to 30 percent, though they do not enjoy the proper rights at the same level.
Kodheli visited Macedonia last week and in her talks with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski they addressed defense issues and projects and possibilities for advancing bilateral cooperation.
Albania supports Macedonia’s NATO accession and wishes that the neighboring country will soon become a full rights member of the Alliance, according to Kodheli when talking with her Macedonian counterpart Zoran Jolevski too.
Both countries said they remain committed to their fight against terrorism and any other threat to peace, safety of citizens and democratic values of both countries.
