NEWS

The Presidents of Bulgaria and Albania: the Balkans are Lagging Behind in their “connectivity” Compared to the West European Countries and Should Work to Bring About Change

The Balkans are lagging behind in their “connectivity” compared to the Central and West European states and this requires that they strive to achieve more pragmatism in their bilateral cooperation and to produce more results when implementing the projects common for the region.  This is what the Presidents of Bulgaria and Albania Rosen Plevneliev and Bujar Nishani called for at their joint press conference.

The Bulgarian Head of State is on an official visit to the Republic of Albania during which 100 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries will be commemorated. “These relationships are based on friendship, mutual trust and partnership and require that we pool efforts to secure our common future in united Europe,” the Bulgarian Head of State emphasized at the press conference. President Nishani voiced his gratitude for the friendly attitude displayed by the Bulgarian people and for Bulgaria’s consistent support “in all difficult for Albania moments.”

The two presidents highlighted in their talks the opportunities Bulgaria and Albania have to derive maximum benefits from their geographical proximity and to work for increasing their trade.  Both Rosen Plevneliev and Bujar Nishani pointed out the necessity to encourage the contacts between the representatives of the business circles form the two countries. The partnerships in the sphere of tourism are already producing results, 24,000 Albanian tourists visited Bulgaria in 2012.  The Bulgarian tourists also show a growing interest in Albania.

According to Rosen Plevneliev, the partnership between Bulgarian and Albanian companies should also be encouraged in other spheres such as food production, transport infrastructure and pharmacy. President Nishani told his Bulgarian counterpart that Albania is ready to create conditions which will encourage more Bulgarian companies to invest in the country. The two presidents shared the opinion that the two countries may considerably exceed the current level of the bilateral trade which is worth 65 million euros per year.

Presidents Plevneliev and Nishani share the common position that the development of the regional transport infrastructure is a mandatory condition for achieving better results in the economic trade between the South-Eastern European countries and for attracting more investments. According to the Heads of State, the common future of the Balkan countries in the European Union requires speeding up the work on the projects which support regional integration and connectivity.

“Bulgaria has invested 700 million euros to implement Transport corridor No.8,” Rosen Plevneliev said and pointed out that the Trakia highway connects Sofia and Burgas today, work is already done on the modernization of the railroad infrastructure under the European transport corridor. “We are ready to complete the construction of the other small sections soon, whereby we will fulfill our commitment to this project, which is of key importance for the region,” Rosen Plevneliev said.

The bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and the opportunities Bulgaria has to supply electricity to Albania were also debated during the meeting. Rosen Plevneliev was adamant that energy diversification, including the supplies of natural gas to South-Eastern Europe, remain a priority for Bulgaria. Our country supports the implementation of the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline and will connect to it by building an inter-connector with Greece, Rosen Plevneliev recalled.  The President reiterated that by building inter-systemic connectors between the gas-transit networks of Bulgaria and its neighbors, the energy security in the whole region will be strengthened.

Bulgaria and Albania will sign a Memorandum on Cooperation in the sphere of European integration, it became clear at the meeting between the two Heads of State. President Plevneliev confirmed our country’s support for Albania’s European integration and for its acquiring the status of a candidate-state for EU membership. This process is beneficial not only to the South-Eastern European countries, but also to the European Union as a whole, the Head of State pointed out.

“Albania’s EU integration is a top priority for us and unites the efforts of the whole Albanian society,” President Nishani said. He added that Albania will continue to conduct the reforms necessary to this effect and seek the support of Bulgaria’s expertise in this process.

The prospects for a closer cooperation between Bulgaria and Albania regarding European integration were highlighted at the talks held between President Plevneliev and Ilir Meta, chairman of the Parliament of Albania, and Prime Minister Edi Rama.  “The efforts the Albanian institutions have made should be highly appreciated and Albania deserves to receive a positive signal at the forthcoming meeting of the European Council in June 2014,” the Bulgarian Head of State emphasized.

During the meetings President Plevneliev held in Tirana the bilateral cooperation in support of the stability and security in the region of South-Eastern Europe was also highly appreciated. Bulgaria and Albania will continue to strengthen their cooperation within NATO.

Later in the Bulgarian embassy in Albania’s capital, President Plevneliev will meet representatives of the business circles in Albania. In the National Theater of Opera and Ballet in Tirana the two Heads of State will open an exhibition dedicated to 100 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.