It is a particular pleasure to welcome today to Tirana the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, Gordan Grlić-Radman.

My colleague and friend Gordan and I maintain continuous, collegial, and productive communication whenever we have the opportunity to meet in Brussels or elsewhere, at regional or international forums.

Today’s meeting is of special significance, as Minister Grlić-Radman is paying his second official visit to our country within a relatively short period of time, a testament to the excellent relations between our two countries and peoples.

Dobrodošao, Gordane, i hvala ti na toplom i otvorenom razgovoru koji smo upravo vodili!

(Welcome, Gordan, and thank you for the warm and open discussion we have just had.)

We discussed a wide range of issues concerning our bilateral relations.

Since 2018, Albania and Croatia have elevated their relations to the level of a Strategic Partnership.

We can confidently say that the relationship our two countries enjoy today reflects the values we share, particularly our unwavering Euro-Atlantic orientation and our common European vision for the region—one that promotes peace, reconciliation, inclusiveness, and a shared path towards the European Union.

We discussed the next steps in implementing the Strategic Partnership Action Plan, including the possibility of holding the first joint meeting between our two governments, which would give our cooperation a new, more dynamic and integrated dimension.

We devoted considerable attention to Albania’s EU accession process and the valuable support Croatia has consistently provided over the years.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my counterpart, Minister Grlić-Radman, for Croatia’s strong and vocal support—not only politically but also through its practical expertise during the technical negotiation process.

What Croatia has achieved in just one decade since joining the European Union serves as both an example and an inspiration for us, demonstrating that implementing reforms and meeting European standards brings tangible rewards and creates success stories that benefit all citizens.

I assured my Croatian counterpart that, following the closure of the first three negotiation chapters thirteen days ago in Brussels (on 14 July 2026), the Albanian Government continues to work with full commitment and determination to fulfil all obligations and reforms required, with the objective of completing the technical negotiation process by the end of 2027. In this process, there is neither pause nor rest.

We remain fully determined to maintain this momentum and ensure that every reform we undertake delivers long-term benefits for Albanian citizens while strengthening public confidence in the accession process.

We welcomed the growth in bilateral trade and agreed to intensify efforts to promote investments and joint projects in energy, tourism, and infrastructure.

This October, Tirana will host the 6th Session of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation.

We also agreed to further deepen cooperation in tourism and improve transport connectivity, which is a fundamental aspect of our partnership. Together, we will encourage the reactivation of the direct Tirana–Zagreb air connection and the development of direct maritime links wherever feasible and economically viable.

The development of the Blue Corridor, Corridor VIII, the Three Seas Initiative, and their integration with other pan-European transport corridors will contribute not only to improving road, rail, and maritime infrastructure but also to strengthening military mobility capacities—an important aspect of security cooperation between two NATO Allies.

Likewise, the construction of the Adriatic-Ionian Gas Pipeline connecting Albania, Croatia, and other countries of the region, together with its interconnection with the existing TAP pipeline, will enable the gasification of participating countries and link the LNG terminals in Vlora and Krk with broader European energy corridors.

The Albanian diaspora in Croatia remains a valuable asset in our bilateral relations, serving as a bridge of friendship and contributing to Croatia’s social and economic life. Croatia has also been and continues to be an example of the dignified treatment and effective integration of minorities.

I shared with my counterpart the good news that, for the first time, the Croatian language will be included as an elective foreign language in the academic programme of the Faculty of Foreign Languages for the 2026–2027 academic year.

Regarding developments in the region, we shared the common assessment that the European perspective of all Western Balkan countries, based on merit and fulfilment of European standards, represents a strategic investment in our common European future.

Long-term peace and stability in the Western Balkans are not merely a political aspiration but a historical necessity and a shared responsibility. They can only be built through good neighbourly relations, stronger bilateral and regional multilateral cooperation, mutual respect, and concrete actions and sincere gestures of goodwill that build trust and pave the way towards lasting reconciliation.

In this context, we underlined the particular importance of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia as an essential process for the normalisation of relations, the consolidation of peace, and the closing of a difficult chapter of the past, in the interest of citizens and the European future of the entire region.

I stressed clearly that this process cannot be built on historical revisionism, the denial of facts, the glorification of war criminals, or nationalist, divisive rhetoric and unacceptable statements that relativise, justify, or echo war crimes and policies condemned both by international justice and by human conscience.

Such an approach has nothing in common with European values, the spirit of regional cooperation, or genuine efforts towards reconciliation. The common European future of the Western Balkans cannot be built by returning to the conflicts of the past but by confronting history responsibly and building new relationships based on respect, trust, and cooperation.

Reconciliation is a courageous and noble act that requires political strength, vision, responsibility, and commitment to overcome the painful legacy of the past. Only through such an approach, grounded in the principles of good neighbourly relations and European cooperation, can the Western Balkans move towards a safer, more peaceful, and more integrated future.

As two NATO Allies, Albania and Croatia share responsibility and actively contribute to regional and international peace and stability, including through participation in KFOR in Kosovo and EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Therefore, none of our bilateral, trilateral, or broader cooperation should concern anyone or be used by anyone—within or outside the region—to justify the militarisation of states or societies, let alone to inflame the dangerous fires of conflict or revive outdated calls for territorial ambitions.

Anyone dreaming of returning to the past should understand that they themselves have remained behind—in time and in mindset. No attempt to revive old divisions, fuel tensions, or obstruct reconciliation and cooperation will succeed in dragging the region backwards or undermining our common European future.

Albania will continue to invest with determination, political will, and concrete commitment in steering both bilateral and multilateral regional cooperation towards mechanisms that strengthen open and sincere dialogue, mutual trust among countries, and the creation of a shared space for development.

We will continue to support and promote economic and trade cooperation, infrastructure and energy connectivity, digital transformation, and the harmonisation of standards that bring us closer to European practices and values.

Through the Common Regional Market, we aim to create more opportunities for our citizens and businesses, further integrate our economies, and bring them ever closer to the European Single Market, thereby accelerating our path towards EU membership.

Likewise, we will continue to invest in people-to-people ties, cultural, educational, and professional exchanges, because sustainable cooperation is built not only through political agreements but, above all, through trust and direct contacts between our citizens.

Our region does not need walls—it needs new bridges. It does not need rhetoric that divides us but vision and responsibility that unite us.

Albania will remain committed to a Western Balkans of peace, stability, and development, firmly oriented towards the European family where it belongs.

On this journey, Croatia, as a Member State of the European Union, remains an active, reliable, and indispensable partner not only for Albania but for all the countries of the region.

In this spirit, dear Gordan, allow me once again to thank you for your visit and for our open and productive discussion.

I remain convinced that our relations will continue to deepen in the spirit of our Strategic Partnership and the enduring friendship between our two countries.

Thank you!