President Begaj welcomes the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov
The President of the Republic of Albania, H.E. Mr. Bajram Begaj, today received the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Mr. Rosen Zhelyazkov, for a meeting.
The political relations between the two countries, the European integration process of the Western Balkans, the intensification of economic relations, the increase in trade exchanges, and the development of infrastructure to aid this process were the focal points of this meeting.
President Begaj thanked Bulgaria for supporting Albania’s EU integration, for joint multilateral initiatives, for contributing military troops to KFOR, and highlighted the importance of enhancing economic relations to match the political ones.
President Begaj and Speaker Zhelyazkov discussed recent developments, focusing on the developmental opportunities that land and air infrastructure will bring. “Accelerating the construction of Corridor 8 and the initiation of direct flights between Tirana and Sofia by the end of this year will undoubtedly boost trade exchanges and tourism in both countries,” stated President Begaj.
“We consider Corridor 8 of strategic importance and are working hard to complete it as soon as possible. Roads lead to development, and this corridor will bring development to our entire region,” said President Begaj.
President Begaj noted that the current regional situation requires understanding, cooperation, and overcoming past policies among the Western Balkan countries for their full Euro-Atlantic integration.
He pointed out that “Albanians are a people who have fought to protect their rights and know the price of freedom is immeasurable; hence, Albanians in the region have been and are peace-loving and a stabilizing factor.”
Regarding the respect of the rights of respective minorities, the Head of State assured that the rights of the Bulgarian minority in Albania are guaranteed, and the recently conducted census ensured the free will of self-declaration through a fair and transparent process.