The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, participated in the Berlin Process Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held in Pržno, Montenegro.

The meeting focused on strengthening regional cooperation and the European perspective of the Western Balkans, with the aim of fostering a safer, more competitive and better-connected region.

In his remarks, Minister Hoxha reaffirmed Albania’s unwavering commitment to deepening regional cooperation and advancing the European integration process.

Minister Hoxha stressed that the security of the Western Balkans and the security of Europe are inseparable, particularly in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.

“In an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, the response to our common challenges lies in stronger cooperation, greater unity and a more resilient Europe, better equipped to face the challenges ahead. And for us, this has a name: enlargement. Not as a favour or a reward, but as a merit-based process, underpinned by meaningful and impactful reforms, while also representing a strategic investment in Europe’s long-term security, stability and competitiveness,” said Minister Hoxha.

Referring to the importance of the Berlin Process, Minister Hoxha underlined that European integration begins well before EU membership and is built through concrete results.

According to him, practical cooperation, mobility and people-to-people contacts, mutual recognition of diplomas, connectivity and the Common Regional Market are all part of a process that delivers direct benefits to citizens, strengthens regional ties and brings Western Balkan societies closer to the European Union.

“One of the most important lessons of the Berlin Process is that European integration begins at home, long before membership. It advances through practical cooperation, mobility and people-to-people contacts, mutual recognition of diplomas, connectivity and the Common Regional Market—that is, through concrete achievements that improve the lives of citizens, deepen regional ties and bring our societies ever closer to the European Union,” concluded Minister Hoxha.