President Begaj Meets with the First Mayor of Hamburg, Mr. Peter Tschentscher
President Bajram Begaj of the Republic of Albania was warmly received today by Mr. Peter Tschentscher, the First Mayor of Hamburg. President Begaj appreciated this meeting as a positive sign, highlighting the interest in enhancing the level of political dialogue with the State of Hamburg and exploring new cooperative opportunities.
President Begaj acknowledged the strong relations between Albania and the German states, such as Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and now Hamburg.
The discussion recognized Germany’s and the individual states’ support for Albania’s European Union integration efforts. The meeting also underscored the need to increase contacts and reciprocal visits, including inter-parliamentary exchanges with the Hamburg Parliament and between various ministries. On this occasion, President Begaj invited Mr. Tschentscher to visit Albania to discuss specific cooperation projects.
Areas highlighted for cooperation included attracting investments from Hamburg, vocational education, maritime transport and the new port of Durres, smart city initiatives, combating organized crime and illegal trafficking, and establishing twin city relationships with Albanian cities.
The meeting also covered the integration of the Albanian community in Hamburg and the support provided by the city for associations promoting the teaching of the Albanian language to children.
Accompanying President Begaj were the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the Federal Republic of Germany, Ms. Adia Sakiqi, the Minister of Interior, Mr. Taulant Balla, and MP Ferdinand Xhaferri.