EU integration of Western Balkans is very important to German Chancellor

TIRANA, April 11 – Germany is committed to the start of accession negotiations of Albania and North Macedonia with the EU as soon as possible.
This was announced on Monday by the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz at a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who is on a two-day visit to Berlin.
“The Western Balkans and its integration into the EU is very important to me. In many cases, I have drawn attention to the fact that one of the most important tasks that Europe has in front of it is precisely to enable this integration,” he said. “For Germany, the Western Balkans is of strategic importance, as part of Europe and part of the European family. Therefore, I want to seek very intensively exchanges and contacts with the heads of state and government of the Western Balkans,” said Scholz.
“In this first meeting, we dwelt on a series of topics. Close relations between our countries for the process of rapprochement with the EU, for regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and, of course, for the coordination of our approach in the face of the aggressive Russian war against Ukraine,” he said. Asked if Germany has a concrete plany for the start of negotiations with Albania, Scholz said that he mentioned the issue of the Western Balkans’s EU membership several times. Answering a question if he saw the Open Balkans as a means to accelerate the Berlin Process, Scholz said he would in any case be committed to everything that supports the Berlin project. /argumentum.al