“Croatia and Albania have excellent relations and it is time to go a step further. Good relations are necessary, both bilaterally and regionally, as well as in regard to a European future of not only Albania both other countries in the region too. This is also a matter of the future of Europe itself, as this is not where Europe has to extend to, but rather where it needs to consolidate itself, and it is high time for Europe to close that circle,” said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić after yesterday’s meeting in Tirana with her Albanian counterpart Ditmir Bushati.
Bilateral projects do not benefit only Albania and Croatia but are also useful for the stability of the region and Europe as a whole, Pusić added.
Pusić and Bushati discussed infrastructure and energy projects such as the Adriatic-Ionian gas pipeline, a proposed natural gas pipeline in Southeast Europe that is set to run from Albania through Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina to Split in Croatia, and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), a route starting on the border of Turkey and Greece that is to continue onshore, crossing Greece, then west through Albania to the Adriatic coast. Also discussed was the Adriatic-Ionian motorway.
The talks also revolved around possibilities for the two countries to promote cooperation in agriculture, tourism, the pharmaceutical and food industries, for which there are bilateral prospects and interests, and on which talks would continue, Pusić said.