TIRANA, April 14 – Albania and Spain signed on Friday a memorandum of cooperation to achieve a better coordination of work on European integration issues. This was announced by the press office of the ministry which included the joint press conference of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhacka and the Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, who made a visit before Spain takes over the EU Presidency in the half the second of this year.
“This is the first visit of a Spanish Foreign Minister to Albania after many years, which in itself constitutes an important event in the relations between our countries,” said Xhacka. According to her, the visit shows the special attention that Spain is paying to Albania and the Western Balkan to support the region’s membership in the European Union.
“By the end of this year, Albania plans to complete the screening process for all negotiation chapters, as well as to open the group of basic negotiation chapters,” she said, asking for the support of Spain as head of the EU Presidency.
Xhacka said that “we jointly agreed to sign a memorandum of cooperation between our countries with the aim of achieving the best coordination of work on European integration issues”.
Also, she announced that “there is an increase in tourists coming from Spain from year to year, as well as the growing interest of Spanish businesses to invest in Albania in the hotel field and recently in the energy sector, agriculture, etc., where I would mention as a success story and as a model for the future the presence in Albania of the ‘Melia’ Group”. /Argumentum.al
