President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj, began his official visit to Austria where he was welcomed with high honors by President Alexander Van der Bellen. The two held a t\u00eate-\u00e0-t\u00eate meeting, followed by official talks with their respective delegations, and concluded with a joint press conference.<\/p>\n
Reaffirming the traditional friendship between Albania and Austria, both heads of state emphasized their shared commitment to an intensive and stable partnership, addressing regional and European integration challenges, and maintaining a strategic vision for the Western Balkans\u2019 path to the EU.<\/p>\n
During the press conference, President Begaj expressed gratitude to Austria for its longstanding support across sectors such as economy, education, tourism, judicial reform, and especially EU integration efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur relations constitute a partnership that grows stronger by the day,\u201d said Begaj, highlighting the excellent political dialogue and shared Euro-Atlantic values between the two countries.<\/p>\n
He underscored Albania\u2019s rapid progress in the past two years, with the aim to open all EU negotiation chapters within 2025 and reach full membership by 2030:<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though full membership will take time, what matters most is the transformation process\u2014of governance, economy, and society\u2014bringing direct benefits to all citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Begaj also praised Austria\u2019s diplomatic initiative, the \u201cFriends of the Western Balkans\u201d group, aimed at strengthening the EU\u2019s commitment to the region. He emphasized that such initiatives can ensure regional stability and reduce geopolitical risks from foreign influence.<\/p>\n
The meeting also addressed Kosovo, with Begaj thanking Austria for its continuous support for Kosovo\u2019s independence, state-building, and international recognition.<\/p>\n
Begaj also mentioned the upcoming European Political Community Summit, scheduled for May 16 in Tirana, calling it an important and positive development for Albania.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj, began his official visit to Austria where he was welcomed with high honors by President Alexander Van der Bellen. The two held a t\u00eate-\u00e0-t\u00eate meeting, followed by official talks with their respective delegations, and concluded with a joint press conference. Reaffirming the traditional friendship between Albania and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":77410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,1803],"tags":[243,151],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n