President of the government of Spain finishes tour of five Balkan countries

The President of the government of Spain concluded a tour of the five countries of the Western Balkans in Albania, as reported on Monday, August 1.

The President of the government of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, held a meeting in the capital of Albania, Tirana, with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, and was the first international leader to meet with the newly elected President of the country, Bejram Begaj.

The President of the Government, in a joint appearance with the Prime Minister, stressed that the tour is a clear demonstration of the importance that Spain attaches to this region of Europe:

“You have all begun, and Albania is an outstanding student, an exciting journey towards the European Union, to which you should undoubtedly belong, by geography, by history, by tradition and by a clear desire for reform”.

During the meeting, the leaders discussed the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the need for European unity to reduce the force of Putin’s authoritarianism.

Sánchez congratulated the Albanian people for joining the EU sanctions on the Russian economy, “which are in no way intended to harm the Russian people, but rather to force their leaders to return to international legality”.

The two leaders discussed the start of negotiations on Albania’s accession to the European Union. In this respect, the President stressed:

“It has been a long and long-awaited road. I acknowledge Albania’s patience and solidarity and I reiterate that, as to date, Albania will continue to enjoy Spain’s support in its reform process and with a view to its accession to the Union becoming a reality in the near future”.

The news follows reports of NATO vowing to intervene in Kosovo if rising tensions with Serbia continue, as reported on Monday, August 1.