It is a special pleasure for me to welcome today in Tirana the Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, my counterpart and friend, Mr. Ervin Ibrahimović.

Dobro došli u Tiranu.
(Welcome to Tirana.)

This visit carries special significance, not only because of the excellent and substantive spirit of our relations and political dialogue, but also because of the symbolism it bears, as it takes place on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Montenegro’s restored independence.

Our discussions today, which will continue throughout the day, were held in the spirit of the enduring friendship that has characterized the traditionally very good Albanian-Montenegro relations. Over these two decades, Albania and Montenegro have jointly built a true model of good neighborly relations and regional cooperation.

Today, we cooperate closely as friendly countries, partners, and NATO allies across a wide range of areas, both bilaterally and at regional and multilateral levels.

Precisely in response to this intensified level of our relations, I proposed to my colleague Ibrahimović that we review and analyze everything we have achieved so far, assess the agreements we have signed, and examine what more we can do — better and faster — in the interest of our two countries, our societies, and our dialogue. In this regard, we believe that at an appropriate moment we should reactivate an important mechanism between our two countries: the Intergovernmental Meeting, Government-to-Government (G2G), naturally at the right time, when we have all the necessary elements to move further, do more, and elevate our relations to a higher level. This is an important mechanism for advancing concrete economic, infrastructural, and connectivity projects.

We agreed that our attention should increasingly focus on cross-border projects that directly impact sustainable development and the well-being of our citizens on both sides of the border. In this framework, we will commit to advancing priority projects such as the opening of the Joint Border Crossing Point Zogaj–Skje, the advancement of the Buna River Bridge project, as well as the Podgorica–Hani i Hotit railway.

Albanians in Montenegro and the Montenegrin minority in Albania remain strong connecting bridges between our two countries and an asset of our relations. Albania remains unwavering in ensuring that the Montenegrin minority enjoys all the rights guaranteed by national and international law, just as we expect the Albanian community in Montenegro to continue to have fair and proportional representation in institutional life and public administration.

Albania highly values its close cooperation with Montenegro and the constructive role that both our countries play in strengthening peace, stability, and security in the Western Balkans. We are committed to building bridges not only over the Buna River, but also bridges of understanding, reconciliation, and cooperation in the region, with the vision of a more interconnected, prosperous, and barrier-free Western Balkans.

No one can build the future by looking only to the past — even less so in our region. Our European future, both individual and collective, is built by looking ahead with vision and foresight, as both our countries are doing.

In this context, regional cooperation, the implementation of the Growth Plan, and keeping the European Union enlargement process at the center of strategic attention remain essential for the future of our countries and the entire region.

I congratulated my colleague Ibrahimović on Montenegro’s significant progress in negotiations with the European Union. Every success of Montenegro on its path toward EU membership is good news for the entire region and an important contribution to strengthening the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

Today, Albania and Montenegro are regarded by others as frontrunner countries in the enlargement process — a merit-based process where the main benchmark remains concrete progress and the quality of the reforms undertaken.

For Albania, progress on the path toward the European Union is evaluated based on tangible results, sustained commitment, and the ability to meet the standards and obligations arising from the process in which we are engaged for our European future.

We will continue to closely coordinate our positions, exchange experience and expertise, and support one another in fulfilling negotiation obligations, with the goal of soon sitting together as two new members at the table of the European Union.

I am convinced that our relations will continue to strengthen further in the future, for the benefit of our citizens and the stability and development of the entire region.

Once again, thank you very much, Ervin, for the visit and for the fruitful discussions!

Još jednom, hvala Ervine.
(Once again, thank you, Ervin.)