17:20 – Prime Minister Edi Rama accompanies German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the airport, marking the end of her visit to Albania.
16:50 – PM Albin Kurti responds to Euronews Albania inquiry, ‘Kosovo will not join the Open Balkan initiative’
16:40 – Kosovo’s PM lists four main elements to secure peace and security in the Western Balkans.
15:30 – Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with the leaders of other Western Balkan countries in Tirana prior to wrapping up her visit.
15:15 – Rama’s message to Kosovo: ‘Open Balkan’ does not contradict Berlin Process.
14:57 – Angela Merkel: Berlin Process hasn’t failed, there’s still a lot to be done.
14:50 – German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for closer cooperation among countries in the region during her farewell speech held in Tirana.
14:41 – ‘The major achievement of the Berlin Process is embedding a spirit of cooperation, interaction and a sense of a common future’, declared PM Rama during the joint press conference with the German chancellor.
14:30 – The press conference attended by PM Edi Rama and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel is taking place at Tirana Business Park. Earlier, chancellor Merkel was received by a ceremony organized by the head of state at the Presidential Palace.
13:13 – PM Edi Rama presented the German chancellor Angela Merkel with the medal of honor titled the ‘Great Star of Gratitude for Public Achievements’. The moment Rama decided to award this medal to Merkel was captured and shared on the prime minister’s personal Facebook account. Chancellor Merkel called this medal a great honor and proceeding to tell the Albanian prime minister that collaborating with him was “a good idea”.
12:02 – German chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at Tirana Business Park.
11:58 – PM Rama arrives at Tirana Business Park
11:40 – German chancellor, Angela Merkel has wrapped up meetings at the Presidential Palace and is heading to Tirana’s Business Park, where the press conference with PM Rama and meetings with the delegations of Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia will be taking place.
11:38 – Kosovo delegation arrives in Tirana Business Park
11:30 – Delegations of North Macedonia and Serbia have arrived in Tirana Business Park
11:20 – Montenegrin delegation arrives in Tirana’s Business Park
10:36 – Tete-a-tete meeting between PM Edi Rama and German chancellor Angela Merkel has begun.
10:32 – The welcoming ceremony in honor of chancellor Merkel has begun at the Palace of Brigades. PM Rama offered Merkel a handshake which was met with a fist bump by the German chancellor, as is dictated by the rules of the pandemic. Something that grabbed the attention was the fact that the Albanian head of state and German chancellor sat on two separate armchairs when the leaders usually stand during these types of ceremonies.
10:29 – Chancellor Merkel arrives at the Palace of Brigades.
10:04 – After arriving in Albania’s International Airport ‘Mother Theresa’, Merkel’s convoy is now heading to the Palace of Brigades, where the rest of her agenda will unravel.
09:45 – German chancellor’s plane has landed in Tirana’s International Airport “Mother Theresa”. Foreign minister, Olta Xhacka and the minister of state for parliament relations, Elisa Spiropali, were at the airport and will be the ones to receive Merkel upon her arrival. Head of the Albanian State Police, Ardi Veliu, was also present during the welcoming reception.
09:31 – Merkel’s agenda in Tirana
The prime minister’s press office has published a detailed account of Merkel’s agenda during her visit to Tirana, that is set to begin at 10:20 a.m., with a welcoming ceremony at the Palace of Brigades.
At 10:30 a.m., PM Rama and the German chancellor will have a one-on-one meeting at the Palace of Brigades that will be followed by the meeting of the two delegations from the respective country.
At 11:55 a.m., the German chancellor and the Balkan government leaders will be meeting at Tirana Business Park. At the same venue, at 14:35 p.m., there will be a press conference held by PM Rama and chancellor Merkel.
09:00 – Measures
The police have already announced road closures for all motor vehicles in the following segments: Rinas-Unaza e Re, Sauk, str. Elbasan – Palace of Brigades, starting at 09:00 – 13: 00.
News is updating…
