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Argumentum’s focus
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama paid a two-day visit to Turkey whose main agenda has been the progress of bilateral cooperation projects between line ministries of the two countries as well as contacts with investors in digital technology, tourism, pharmaceuticals, energy, transport, said government sources on Thursday.
Rama was received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday evening but no details have been provided on what the two leaders discussed as even the visit was unannounced earlier a visit which happened soon after the victory of Socialist Party Premier Rama in the April 25 elections. The visit also coincides with the expectation of Albania to get an answer on the opening of the first intergovernmental accession talks with the EU.
Posted as ‘photo of the day’ by Rama on FB on Thursday it is reported on Rama’s meeting with vaccine distributor Sinovac Canturk Alagöz. Rama said that he talked about the project of building a vaccine factory in Albania.
Sources informed that Prime Minister Rama was accompanied by key Ministers Blendi Klosi, Belinda Balluku, Ogerta Manastirliu, Arben Ahmetaj, Evis Kushi, Elva Margariti and the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj on his visit to Turkey.
During the numerous meetings that the delegation members have held, the Turkish side offered cooperation projects with investors in various important fields such as digital technology, tourism, pharmaceuticals, energy and transport.
The General Director of the Albanian Customs, Genti Gazheli, held a bilateral meeting with the Director of the Turkish Customs, Mustafa Gümüş, where they discussed the intensification of cooperation between the two customs administrations.
An announcement by Health Minister Manastirliu posted on social networks called a fruitful meeting in Ankara with the Minister of Health of the Republic of Turkey, dr. Fahrettin Koca, to advance the agenda of cooperation in the field of health and she mentioned the progress of the Memorial Hospital in Fier, the cooperation between the joint staffs and the strengthening of the clinical hospital services.
Regarding the Chinese vaccine Sinovac no one explains why Albania isn’t in direct contact with the Chinese manufacturer like most of the countries do. But it’s known that the US has mounted pressure on Albania to limit its cooperation with China going that far to ask Rama to quit the 17+1 cooperation mechanism which has been publicly been refused.
Albania has received many tranches of aid supplies from China with anti Covid medical equipments, especially in the first months of the pandemic stage when there were shortages of everything and no EU country as well as the US did not offer aid to the strategic partner Albania. /argumentum.al
